What is the main purpose of the Hoover Dam?
Completed in 1936, Hoover Dam was built to provide irrigation water and hydroelectric power, and to control seasonal flooding of the Colorado River, which made downstream settlement possible.
Who benefits from the Hoover Dam?
Farmers received a dependable supply of water in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Numerous cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix were given an inexpensive source of electricity, permitting population growth and industrial development. Hoover Dam also provided for flood control and irrigation .
What makes the Hoover Dam so special?
Hoover Dam is as tall as a 60-story building. It was the highest dam in the world when it was completed in 1935. Its base is as thick as two football fields are long. Each spillway, designed to let floodwaters pass without harming the dam itself, can handle the volume of water that flows over Niagara Falls.
What was the purpose of the Hoover Dam?
In addition, the Hoover Dam provides low-cost hydroelectric power for Nevada, Arizona, and California.
How many people visit Hoover Dam a year?
It is also a major sightseeing destination, with some seven million visitors a year, almost one million of whom go on tours through the dam. Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, Arizona-Nevada, U.S., seen from above on the upstream (reservoir) side.
Where is Hoover Dam on the Colorado River?
Hoover Dam on the Colorado River, Arizona-Nevada, U.S., seen from above on the upstream (reservoir) side. A bypass bridge (background) crosses Black Canyon just downstream, and four intake towers (foreground) divert reservoir water to a hydroelectric plant located in the base of the dam.Federal Highway Administration.
What was the job of high scalers on Hoover Dam?
One of the most crucial jobs in construction was that of the high scaler. High scalers would use ropes to climb down the canyon walls to strip away rock. During the midst of construction, these walls were festooned with live wires, creating a maze high scalers had to navigate.