Just a few miles east of Las Vegas lies Hoover Dam, one of the USA's most famous engineering projects. It was built during the great depression to provide a reliable supply of electricity to Nevada, Arizona and California. It's also a major tourist attraction in this part of the USA with around one million annual visitors.
On the way to the dam there is a security check where every car has to be checked over (rather superficially it appeared). We believe the dam has been identified as a potential terrorist target by the US intel services. Once we told the officers we weren't carrying any guns they waved us through.
The water level in the lake was very low although the power station ensures a reasonable discharge into the Colorado river. Apparently the dam spillway has only ever been needed once, during floods in 1983.
After visiting the dam we went for a walk out onto the spectacular Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman memorial bridge which provides a perfect view of the dam wall. The bridge was built as a Hoover Dam bypass so traffic travelling across the Arizona Nevada border on Route US 93 didn't have to traverse the dam wall.
With climate change and noting the low level of Lake Mead, as we drove back to Vegas we couldn't help wondering about the future of the dam and the electricity it generates. Unsurprisingly annual electricity generation is down in recent years due to drought and this trend is likely to continue putting pressure on consumption of electricity and water for much of southwestern USA.
On the way to the dam there is a security check where every car has to be checked over (rather superficially it appeared). We believe the dam has been identified as a potential terrorist target by the US intel services. Once we told the officers we weren't carrying any guns they waved us through.
The water level in the lake was very low although the power station ensures a reasonable discharge into the Colorado river. Apparently the dam spillway has only ever been needed once, during floods in 1983.
After visiting the dam we went for a walk out onto the spectacular Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman memorial bridge which provides a perfect view of the dam wall. The bridge was built as a Hoover Dam bypass so traffic travelling across the Arizona Nevada border on Route US 93 didn't have to traverse the dam wall.
With climate change and noting the low level of Lake Mead, as we drove back to Vegas we couldn't help wondering about the future of the dam and the electricity it generates. Unsurprisingly annual electricity generation is down in recent years due to drought and this trend is likely to continue putting pressure on consumption of electricity and water for much of southwestern USA.
Comments
Post a Comment