ULTIMATE STRUCTURE
JANUARY 28, 2022
The Vital Role Of Hoover Dam For Power And Water Distribution
The vital role of Hoover Dam for power and water distribution across Nevada and California is obvious to meet daily needs.
Hoover Dam is a dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado river, on the border between the states of Arizona and Nevada. It is a hydraulic structure and hydroelectric power station and was built in the lower reaches of the Colorado River.
One of the goals of the dam is to control the flooding that often occurs when the Rocky Mountain snow melts and merges with the Colorado River. Furthermore, the dam will provide water for agricultural irrigation in the surrounding desert area and provide a water supply for Los Angeles and parts of southern California.
Bureau of Reclamation engineer, Arthur Powell Davis in 1902 began his vision of the Hoover Dam. Davis’ plans finally began in 1922. When construction was completed in 1935, the dam was the largest electricity generating facility in the world and the largest structure in the world. The Grand Coulee Dam took over the position in 1945.
The name of the dam was to honor the 31st US President – Herbert Hoover, who played an important role in the construction which took place in 1931-1936.
The proposal for funding needed for the project was signed by the U.S. Senate in 1928. Hoover then signed several state approval documents to start the construction project a year later.
After the plan was approved, the project was initially given the name “Project Boulder Canyon”. The dam will not only controlling flooding and irrigation, it will also generate useful electricity for local residents.
On 7 July 1930, the construction of the Hoover Dam began. In five years, with a total of 21,000 workers, one of the largest dams and one of the largest structures ever created by man was built. Although it only took five years to built, the preparation for the construction work took almost 30 years.
Construction of the dam is planned over a narrow canyon. To divert water, four tunnels were created from the construction point. It should be noted that the total length is 4.9 km. In 1931, construction of the tunnel itself began. They were made of concrete, the thickness of which is 0.9 meters and the diameter of the channel reaches 15.2 meter.
Hoover Dam was officially operated as Boulder Dam on September 30, 1935. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was present and most of the work on the dam (exception for the power plant) was completed by that time. In 1947, Congress later renamed the dam to Hoover Dam after President Herbert Hoover.
On October 9, 1936, the power grid in Los Angeles began to distribute power from the Hoover Dam which began operating. After the dam was officially operational, thousands of workers came to southern Nevada to work on the dam. Las Vegas is growing rapidly and Six Companies Inc. built Boulder City, Nevada for the settlement of the workers.
Today, the Hoover Dam is used mainly for flood control in the lower Colorado River. Storage and delivery of river water from Lake Mead is also a vital part to dam use as it provides reliable water for irrigation in both the United States and Mexico as well as municipal water use in areas such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix.
With such ultimate structure, the height of the dam reaches 221 m. The facility is capable of irrigating 2 million hectares, its 17 turbines generating enough electricity to power 1.3 million homes across Nevada and California.
Hoover Dam was later designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1985 and became one of the Seven Wonders of American Civil Engineering in 1994. In addition for tourism purpose, the dam also receives about 7 million tourist visits annually.
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