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Hoover Dam Project Analysis
Hoover dam case study
Hoover Dam Project Analysis
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Hoover Dam, sometimes referred to as Boulder Dam, was constructed between 1931 and 1935 to harness the waters of the wild Colorado River. The dam was a challenging task for even the most experienced professionals. Many have called Hoover Dam a wonder of the modern world because of its unprecedented massive size and its designers’ ingenuity in overcoming obstacles that were considered impossible barriers at the time (Stevens).
Hoover Dam is 726.4 feet high, more than twice the height of the highest dam built before it. It is 1,244 feet across the top and 660 feet thick at the bottom. It weighs 6.6 million tons and contains more than 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete (“Hoover Dam”). Hoover Dam set the precedent for modern dam-building technology,
though there are higher and more massive dams today. The engineers who designed Hoover Dam came up with ingenious solutions to the problems of building such a massive concrete structure. For example, they first had to figure out how to force the river to flow around the construction site. To solve this problem they built four huge diversion tunnels to take the water through the canyon walls while they were building the dam. Another seemingly insurmountable problem was that the concrete would have taken over a century to cool completely if it had been poured in one huge form. To overcome this, the engineers came up with a building-block system and a network of cooling tubes to speed the process. Engineers also invented a complex system of cables and pulleys to transport materials and workers up and down the sides of the canyon and across the face of the dam. These and other innovations are reasons why Hoover Dam still stands as a monument to human ingenuity (“Hoover Dam”). Along with being massive and ingenious in its construction, Hoover Dam was also built in an amazingly short period of time. More than 5,000 men found jobs during the Great Depression working on the dam. Ila Clements-Davey, a dam worker’s daughter, said, “The men were just swarming over the whole place, they just looked like a hill of ants” (The American Experience). However, working conditions were harsh....
In December 1936 the United States Department of the Interior authorized the Lower Colorado River Authority to construct a low dam at the site of an old crossing on the river known as Marshall Ford. Marshall Ford Dam was completed in 1941 through the collaboration of the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) of Texas. The original purpose of the dam was to prevent floods from devastating Austin, TX. The capital city had substandard heavy damage from previous floods since its establishment in 1846. Soon bureaucrats came together to create the Colorado River Project, wanting to create a series of dams along the Colorado River to create hydroelectric power and serve to control floods and droughts. With Buchanan dam well under way with a total of six planned Marshall Ford was the only dam designed primarily for flood control and the only dam in which USBR oversaw construction. With money scarce there was debate over the final height dam and it reservoir capacity. This issue resolves itself with the flood of 1938. Once completed Marshall Ford Dam would flood 65 miles of the Colorado to form Lake Travis, creating the largest of the seven reservoirs known as the Highland Lakes.
The Bureau of Reclamation’s article, “Hoover Dam: What is Biggest?” (2012), announced the largest dam is 984 feet tall while the largest hydropower dam produces 90 billion kilo-watts of energy per year (¶ 3-4).
The one feature common to the Hoover Dam, The Mississippi river and the three gorges dam is that they all tried to control nature’s swings, specifically in the form of flooding. Before the Hoover dam was built, the Colorado river “used to flood spectacularly…but after 1900 the Colorado provoked a vehement response” (Pg 177). The response was simple, but large. The U.S. built several large dams, including the Hoover dam, on the Colorado to decrease its flooding and increase power and irrigation. Unfortunately, just as human control of the Colorado’s flooding increased, its organisms and habitats were detrimentally influenced, and the water became more and more salinated.
The negative aspects of Glen Canyon Dam greatly exceed the positive aspects. The dam’s hydroelectric power supply is only three percent of the total power used by the six states that are served by the facility. There is a surplus of power on the Colorado Plateau and with more and more power-plants being created in the western hemisphere, Glen Canyon Dam’s power is not needed (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss). Although the ‘lake’ contains twenty seven million acre feet of water, one and a half million acre feet of water are lost yearly due to evaporation and seepage into the sandstone banks surrounding the ‘lake’ (Living Rivers: What about the water supply?). The loss of that much “water represents millions, even billions of dollars” (Farmer 183). If the government were to employ more water efficient irrigation practices, as much as five million acre feet of water per year could be saved.
20 dams have been built, many of them by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, along the River and the tributaries. The Hoover Dam, which holds back at the Black Canyon to form the reservoir Lake Mead, one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. The Glen Canyon D... ... middle of paper ... ... nts for profit along the river's course can hardly complain when a river flows where it's supposed to go.
Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on the Columbia River in Washington State, built by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser It is among the most famous dams in the United States. The reservoir it created is called the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake. The reservoir is named after the United States President who seemed to love dams and hydroelectric power and who was involved with the project through to the final completion of the dam. The dam was built as part of the Columbia Basin Project as a way to irrigate the desert areas of the Northwest United States. The dam started during the 1930s as a public works project and finished toward the beginning of World War Two. The initial construction plan was reconfigured during construction for more height. Its height was determined by the point at which the water from the reservoir began backing up into Canada. The scope and size of the dam is hard to comprehend. It is over a mile long and taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza, in fact, all the pyramids at Giza can fit within the base of the Grand Coulee Dam. The dam is so large that a truck at the base looks like a toy, this creates some perspective into the dam's true size. When the dam was completed in the early 1940s it was the largest dam in the world.
Over the years Glen Canyon Dam has been the spark for hundreds of debates, rallies, and protests. These debates have been going on for almost forty years now. The fact is that the dam created a huge lake when it was built, this is what bothers environmentalists. This lake is called Lake Powell and thousands of people depend on its tourists for income. The lake also filled up a canyon called Glen Canyon, some people say it was the most beautiful place on earth. The anti-dam side of the debate has its basis in the fact that Lake Powell is currently covering Glen Canyon. It was very remote so few people got to witness its splendor. This is probably the reason the dam was built in the first place, ignorance.
Kai T. Erikson studied the effects of the Buffalo Creek flood and interviewed the survivors left in the community. Erikson documented his research and his analysis in his ethnography Everything in its Path. The flood was unique in the way that it affected the community so drastically and the calamity that it caused in its wake. Buffalo Creek is a small mining community in rural West Virginia. The community has deep roots in the land and has always trusted the land to provide for them as well as trusting the company to treat them fairly. The community is made up of families that have been there for several generations and treats everyone in the community as a family member. Individuals in Buffalo Creek pride themselves on their hard work and
Boulder Dam (aka Hoover Dam) Who: Hoover is authorized. What: It gave jobs to unemployed workers. 726 ft high and 1,244 feet long. World's tallest dam, and second largest dam.
Dams made from dirt are very weak and the South Fork dam was built entirely with dirt. From an engineering standpoint dams made with dirt needed to be built ...
The Hoover Dam is a modern marvel and a testament to American ingenuity. At over six million six hundred thousand tons and jetting seven hundred sixty feet from the canyon floor, six hundred sixty feet across the bottom and, one thousand two hundred forty four feet across the top, the structure is awe inspiring even to a modern audience. Three quarters of a century since its completion it still stands as a symbol of one of the greatest construction projects of the ages. The need for a dam to block the Colorado River was not a new idea when construction began in 1931, but had been mulled around since the dawn of the century. Flooding due to runoff from the Rocky Mountains had devastated crops, and a need for hydroelectric power increased the need for a dam. In 1922 Black Valley was chosen as the spot for the dam’s construction. No one construction company was large enough to take on the project alone, so a group of companies formed a joint venture in order to bid the job. The Six Companies Inc. made up of Morrison-Knudson, the J.F. Shea Company of Portland, MacDonald & Kahn Ltd, Pacific Bridge Company of Portland, Henry J. Kaiser, Bechtel Company of San Francisco were awarded the winning bid for the dam at forty eight million eight hundred ninety thousand nine hundred fifty five dollars. The construction management team had a Herculean task in building this behemoth and faced many problems in its construction. A few of the major issues posed to the team were diverting the Colorado River, provisioning the men and material to get the job done, and the actual construction of the Hoover Dam. The heights involved with project led to many safety obstacles that had to be overcame.
The Hoover Dam turbines provide a great amount of electricity to those living in the states of California, Arizona, and Nevada. The water level of Lake Mead currently affects the dam’s ability to provide power from the large sized turbines. When the water level of Lake Mead goes down from conditions affecting it, the dam’s ability to provide power directly affects the power companies supplying consumers. Fortunately, the water levels gained back some of that full amount while still shy of where it once existed. As stated, “But the increased elevation isn’t enough to reopen any of the four boat launch ramps closed in the past decade, Holland said” (Shine, C., 2011, para. 9). This definitely indicates that there is currently promise to recovering with close to the original levels even though it may not be excessively soon.
The Dust Bowl is a drought that occurred in the southern plains region of the United States. The Dust swept crossed from Nebraska to Texas. The Dust Bowl occurred in the late 1930’s. The massive dust storms did not begin until 1931. The Dust Bowl was a long-term disaster that impacted people for a long time. The conditions were very scary and last for a while. During the Dust Bowl, serve dust storms would sweep across the great plains. The serve dust storms were often called “Black Blizzards”. The dust storms would also cause the sky to darken for days at a time. The dust would drift like snow and the residents would have to clean it up with a shovel. The worst of the storm occurred in Oklahoma and about three million tons of topsoil were blown off the great plains. Lastly, the dust would work its way through people’s homes and would leave a type of coating on their furniture, food, and skin.
The Golden Gate Bridge is a major tourist attraction in San Francisco, California. It is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world and it’s also the top suicide location in the world.The Golden Gate Bridge is a symbol of Northern California. The bridge serves as a means of transportation.
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND BUREAU OF RECLAMATION. (1985) Hoover Dam. Washingto, D.C., pp. 56.