The amount of water now available across the US west is well below that of any time in modern civilization, said Park Williams, a hydroclimatologist at Columbia University. How are they different? Actually, once we got thru the checkpoint, we drove to the visitor center, where we parked in a garage ($10, cash only), and then we walked across the actual dam my kids were excited about walking from Nevada to Arizona and back again. then, once we returned to our car, we stopped at the bridge. The area is also prone to cloudbursts, high winds, and sudden floods. 4. 2. The Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that runs Hoover Dam, has not yet released more information, per The Associated Press.. The left side shows what a visitor looking upstream at the dam would actually see. Additional money is allocated for security work on . Simple? They stretch for some 124 miles (200 kilometers) along the upper and middle reaches of the . Corporal Joe Ward . Divide the class into seven small groups. Parking is $10 and there are no real alternatives. Over the next 20 years, Congress spent over $10 million trying to protect Imperial Valley farmers from floods. Full (?) Have students list as many kinds of work as they can based on the readings and the images. Only 1.8% of the west is not in some level of drought, with California, Arizona and New Mexico all experiencing their lowest rainfalls on record over the previous 12 months. The driver crossing the bridge does not see the engineering involved. They represent and embody the accumulated engineering knowledge and experience of centuries; and when we behold them it is fitting that we pay tribute to the genius of their designers. Hoover Dam: Hoover Dam tour ruined by Dam security! 15 Minute Course in Engineering We are here to celebrate the completion of the greatest dam in the world, rising 726 feet above the bedrock of the river and altering the geography of a whole region; we are here to see the creation of the largest artificial lake in the world115 miles long, holding enough water, for example, to cover the State of Connecticut to a depth of ten feet; and we are here to see nearing completion a power house which will contain the largest generators yet installed in this country. Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge. . For many Americans, Hoover Dam also came to be a powerful symbol of what American industry and American workers could accomplish, even in the depths of the Great Depression. Roosevelt strongly defended the work relief projects for which his administration was famous. Many newspapers and magazines featured descriptions and images of the "high scalers." 1942, 18; Historical New York Times Database, accessed 9/20/2011. Why do you think that was required? Reading 1 is adapted from Joan Middleton, Hoover Dam" (Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada) National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1981); Joan Middleton and Laura Feller, Hoover Dam" (Mohave County, Arizona, and Clark County, Nevada) National Historic Landmark documentation (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1985); William D. Rowley, The Bureau of Reclamation: Origins and Growth to 1945, Vol. How many men can you count in Photo 1? What difficulties might those building it encounter? Gregson said many of the security controls, including such things as the checkpoints and command center, were instituted in direct response to the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The huge dam on the Colorado captured the imagination of journalists, authors, and filmmakers. Firearms, Explosives and Fireworks are Prohibited at Hoover Dam per 43 CFR 423.30. 1. What were some of the concerns people had about its construction? Private vehicles are allowed to cross after the vehicle is inspected. Bureau of Reclamation. Lower several hundred men from the top on ropes and let them drill the cliffs full of holes. Why do you think the construction company was willing to spend the money to build the lookout? 2. When the contracts were signed, almost two thirds of the electricity went to Southern California. You can then pump a very thin cement soup into cracks and spaces that have opened up. Questions for Reading 3 The President identified benefits the new dam had already provided. 1. It is just another bridge even though the engineering that went into it was amazing. 4. Even if you dont go inside the dam with a full tour, you should consider stopping here. Great way to see an amazing feat of civil engineering. Take a canyonAny canyon several blocks deep, with a good sized river running through it, will do. Engineers, digging for bedrock on which to build, had to excavate so far beneath the bed of the Colorado River that 73 percent of Parker Dam's 320-foot . Which are in the Upper Basin and which are in the Lower Basin? "There's a lot of unique things about Hoover Dam that only apply to Hoover Dam, so it . Why do you think Six Companies was so anxious to get this part of the project done quickly? They hired and housed the workers. By this time, they were among the most knowledgeable and experienced dam builders in the world, but even they had never done anything this big. How does that compare with the 16.5 million acre feet that the Colorado River Compact used as the basis for calculating the amount of water available for allocation to the states? Such expenditures on all of these works, great and small, flow out to many beneficiaries; they revive other and more remote industries and businesses. Over 75 years later, Hoover Dam continues its multiple roles in flood control, power generation, and as a major supplier of water in the Southwestern U.S. See also: New Cyber-Security Standards for N. American Power System. The dam holds back the water of Lake Mead and is the focal point of security efforts. Standard K - The student proposes, compares, and evaluates alternative uses of land and resources in communities, regions, nations, and the world. Whom did they benefit? The Hoover Dam wasn't built just to be a tourist attraction, naturally. Even with these adaptions, however, the decline of Lake Mead has caused the amount of hydro power generated by the dam to drop by around 25%. Copyright 2009 IDG Communications, Inc. In the guts of the Hoover dam, down bronze-clad elevators and through terrazzo corridors, a line of enormous turbines help funnel water out downstream, creating hydro-power electricity for more than 1m households in the process. What might be the advantages of each type of ownership? Only a huge dam could stand up to the pressure of so much water. The rivers and streams shown on this map all flow into the Colorado River. Why or why not? Inside the Arizona powerhouse are nine massive generators. Sand and gravelget quite a bit of this to mix with the cement; enough to make 4,440,000 cubic yards of concrete. Guiding us was Peter Gregson, regional security officer for Reclamation's Lower Colorado Region. And the catastrophic consequences of the extreme weather this brings. When youve got em ready, dump a bunch of rock and dirt in the river, just below the upper end of the tunnels to block off the river. The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam located on the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada in the United States. . By this time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, had been elected president. We have helped mankind by the works themselves and, at the same time, we have created the necessary purchasing power to throw in the clutch to start the wheels of what we call private industry. Work actually began during the summer and continued around the clock until the dam was completed in 1935, two years ahead of schedule. In addition to drilling holes for dynamite, the scalers also knocked unstable rock loose by hand. Questions for Reading 2 "The upper basin states on the Colorado River Wyoming, Colorado New Mexico, and Utah were . Securing the dam and providing a safe experience for the many visitors requires a robust security program. What sort of problems did the river create? No sprawling food bowl of wheat, alfalfa and corn. Then ask the students to come up with their own list of "Wonders of the United States." Identify the characteristics places would have to have to be on such a list. This map shows only Reclamation's dams in the basin. Ask them to look up the construction dates for the other Colorado River dams shown on Map 1, as well as the purpose/benefits for which they were built. How many high scalers can you find in this photo? Copyright 2023 IDG Communications, Inc. CSO provides news, analysis and research on security and risk management, How 9-11 Shaped Hoover Dam Security Operations, Sponsored item title goes here as designed, The 10 most powerful cybersecurity companies, 7 hot cybersecurity trends (and 2 going cold), The Apache Log4j vulnerabilities: A timeline, Using the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to address organizational risk, 11 penetration testing tools the pros use. Labor makes wealth. 4) One illustration showing three views of Hoover Dam; and It is just a bridge to a driver. Another change is the modification of tour routes. Research by Williams and colleagues last year analyzed tree rings to discover the current dry period is rivaled only by a spell in the late 1500s in a history of drought that reaches back to around 800, with the climate crisis doubling the severity of the modern-day drought. Go back to Reading 2. You will go about 20 mph. What arguments did he use? While there is no average year on the Colorado River, Bernardo and his colleagues were always able to estimate its flow within a certain range. Standard C - The student locates, accesses, analyzes, organizes, and applies information about selected public issues--recognizing and explaining multiple points of view. This will cause the mass to cool and shrink quickly. (National Council for the Social Studies). Obviously you must not allow this to happen when you are building a dam. Plug the upper end of the tunnels to cut off water from the lake. From Las Vegas, take US Highway 93 South and continue about 20 miles to Boulder City. How large is 1 cubic yard? Look at the upper right hand corner of the image. Standard G - The student applies knowledge of how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs and promote the common good. 2. Private businesses may have built some of the dams, power plants, or other such facilities, but they do not fit the definition of "public works" given here. It was the highest dam in the world when it was completed in 1935. You are now ready to install the main portion of the dam. Building such a mammoth structure presented unprecedented challenges to the engineers of the Bureau of Reclamation. Pouring the dam.Take cement, rock and sandmix welladd waterpour into canyon. The Hoover Dam is one of the crown jewels of American infrastructure. Standard 1BThe student demonstrates how American life changed during the depression years. We all want the nice weather but we need those good storms to build everything back up, he said. Seen from the bottom of the facility, an area off-limits to tourists. Finally, ask them to consider which job they themselves would like best. 5. The dam was built in interlocking blocks. The first of these great multipurpose projects would be a huge dam on the lower Colorado River. Ice plantyouve got to have a plant capable of turning out about 2 million pounds of ice a day. The following slideshow shows various areas, from the road over the dam to the surrounding buildings and tunnels within the dam itself, as well as the energy-producing machinery and surrounding work spaces, a small representation of the diverse spaces that the Hoover Dam Police Department and security staff protect. In addition to the 10,000 people who braved 102o heat to hear the speech in person, it was broadcast to a radio audience of millions of people. 2) One reading about the construction of Hoover Dam; Time period: Early to mid 20th century. 3 This completes our engineering course. 4. Before the building of Hoover Dam, the Colorado River was dangerous and unreliable. They were looking for places to build dams to store the water from the annual spring runoff, releasing it gradually during the summer for irrigation. Look for the drills (they look a little like machine guns). Its reservoir was the largest artificial lake in the world for decades and is still the largest in the United States. Was it? Dam infrastructure can be affected by natural hazards, man-made threats, as well as an imbalance between resources invested and a dam's age. We were waved by. Housing for workers in the new town of Boulder City wasn't ready when these photos were taken. To get in to the visitor center, you must pass through security more stringent than an airport. CSO: What security changes have been made at the Hoover Dam since 9/11? Why or why not? Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, is the largest reservoir in America. The dams, particularly the Hoover Dam, were also intended to control the torrential floods that would come downstream in big water years. If students identify a neglected public works project, they may want to consider creating a PowerPoint presentation to present to local government authorities to call attention to the problem. During the 1920s, the big dam on the Colorado was usually called the "Boulder Canyon Project" or sometimes "Boulder Dam." "Glen Canyon Dam was built in the 1950s, at the tail end of this building spree," Lustgarten explains. Parker Dam is on the Colorado River, 155 miles downstream from Hoover Dam. You couldn't build the dam without men to pour concrete. My husband had a small penknife in his pocket. Look at the drawing in the upper right hand corner. This morning I came, I saw and I was conquered, as everyone would be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind. No go. Complete with startling statistics Ask the students to identify as many places as they can that have those characteristics. The USs largest reservoir is now barely a third full, the dark basalt rock of its canyon walls blanched by a distinctive white calcium ring where the water level once was. On the drive out there is a free carpark halfway up the road you can park . . It once was the Earth's tallest dam. Do students think it would be necessary for the federal government to be involved to plan and complete such a new dam? Drying up the river.It is necessary to have the spot where you intend to build your dam as dry as possible. Drill holes connecting them with two of the tunnels constructed in Lesson 4. Access control Brent Gunderson, regional security manager of the lower Colorado river region, worked at the Hoover Dam for four years and managed the police force. Hoover Dam. Excavating.Lower steam shovels into the canyon. The Story of Hoover Dam Film Activity 2: "Seven Wonders of the United States" Hoover Dam was both listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Hoover Dam, located where the Colorado River forms the boundary between the states of Nevada and Arizona, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Visitors who have Hoover Dam as a destination in their travel plans need to know a few facts, as there are some restrictions around the site. They should be able to get population data for the states and cities listed above. As the globe warms up, the west will dry out, said Williams. Located in Pyramid Canyon about 70 miles downstream from Hoover Dam, this zoned earth-fill dam consists of concrete . Why do you think they used a measure like that, rather than something like gallons? "Everyone undergoes some form of identity verification and must display their identification badge when they are on the facility," Gregson said. Ill continue to watch the weather, every day., Lake Mead: largest US reservoir falls to historic low amid devastating drought, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Lake Mead behind the Hoover dam from the Arizona side. Its construction, in the teeth of the Great Depression, was a source of such national pride that thousands of people journeyed through the hostile desert to witness the arrival of what has become an enduring monument to collective effort for the public good. Trace the course of the Colorado River. A few hundred miles north, a fast-moving wildfire incinerated the town of Lytton in British Columbia the day after it set a Canadian temperature record of 121F (49.4C). Summer temperatures in the canyon can easily reach 125 degrees. Not as exciting as the Grand Canyon but worth the visit. Hoover Dam did, and continues to do, all the things its supporters hoped it would. In addition to directions and information about touring the dam, it includes links to The Story of Hoover Dam, a series of essays on construction of the dam, a database of hundreds of historic images, and a packet of educational materials. What benefits would controlling it provide and to whom? This PBS production provides materials for teachers, in addition to a history of the dam and some of the people involved in its creation. The dam had to be big. The Colorado River rises in the lofty Rocky Mountains, before tumbling through 1,450 miles of mountains, canyons and deserts until it reaches the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. I think the biggest concern with airports instead of ships or busses or trains is that you can't really e. These new projects would also control floods, supply water to growing cities, and generate electricity to fuel industrial growth in a new West. Then, we walked up the bridge to see the dam. The heat has been otherworldly, with Phoenix recently enduring a record six straight days above 115F (46.1C). 5. Activity 1: Which Job Would You Want? Under their contract with Reclamation, they would have to pay $3,000 for every day they exceeded the deadline for finishing this part of the work. A heat dome that settled over the usually mild Pacific north-west pushed temperatures to reach a record 108F (42.2C) in Seattle and caused power lines to melt and roads to buckle in Portland. Refer to your textbook if necessary. The compact estimated that the rivers annual flow would be 16.5 million acre-feet, allocated 7.5 million acre-feet each to the Upper Basin and the Lower Basin, and set the amount of water each of the states in the Lower Basin would receive. Americans began coming to see the big dam long before it was completed four years later. We recognize also the energy, resourcefulness and zeal of the builders, who, under the greatest physical obstacles, have pushed this work forward to completion two years in advance of the contract requirements. Built during the Great Depression, Hoover Dam is one of America's great historical landmarks. The situation here is emblematic of a planet slowly, inexorably overheating. Refer to Reading 2 if necessary. Time did not allow for us to do a tour inside the dam. The white bathtub ring around Lake Mead shows the record low water levels as drought continues to worsen in Nevada. By this time, too, developers in Los Angeles and other rapidly growing cities in Southern California had added their powerful support for the project. Ask each of the other groups to study one of the six "wonders" (excluding Hoover Dam) on Corporal Ward's list.