Hoover Dam
hydroelectric dam on the Colorado River, United States
The Hoover Dam is a large dam on the Colorado River. It is on the border of the states of Arizona and Nevada. The reservoir it made is called Lake Mead. The dam is named after the former US President Herbert Hoover. At first it was called "Boulder Dam", but the name was changed to honor Hoover, who was president when the idea of building the dam started.
Hoover Dam | |
---|---|
![]() Hoover Dam by Ansel Adams, 1941 | |
Official name | Hoover Dam |
Location | Clark County, Nevada / Mohave County, Arizona, U.S. |
Purpose | Power, flood control, water storage, regulation, recreation |
Status | Operational |
Construction began | 1931 |
Opening date | 1936 |
Construction cost | $49 million (1931 budget) ($684 million in 2020 dollars[1]) |
Owner(s) | United States Government |
Operator(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
Dam and spillways | |
Type of dam | Concrete gravity-arch |
Impounds | Colorado River |
Height | 726.4 ft (221.4 m) |
Length | 1,244 ft (379 m) |
Elevation at crest | 1,232 ft (376 m) |
Width (crest) | 45 ft (14 m) |
Width (base) | 660 ft (200 m) |
Dam volume | 3,250,000 cu yd (2,480,000 m3) |
Spillway type | 2 controlled Drum-Gate, Side channel |
Spillway capacity | 400,000 cu ft/s (11,000 m3/s) |
Reservoir | |
Creates | Lake Mead |
Total capacity | 28,537,000 acre⋅ft (35.200 km3) |
Active capacity | 15,853,000 acre⋅ft (19.554 km3) |
Inactive capacity | 10,024,000 acre⋅ft (12.364 km3) |
Catchment area | 167,800 sq mi (435,000 km2) |
Surface area | 247 sq mi (640 km2) |
Maximum length | 112 mi (180 km) |
Maximum water depth | 590 ft (180 m) |
Normal elevation | 1,219 ft (372 m) |
Power Station | |
Operator(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
Commission date | 1936–1960 |
Hydraulic head | 590 ft (180 m) (Max) |
Turbines | 13× 130 MW 2× 127 MW 1× 68.5 MW 1× 61.5 MW Francis-type 2× 2.4 MW Pelton-type |
Installed capacity | 2,080 MW |
Capacity factor | 23% |
Annual generation | 4.2 TWh (15 PJ) |
Website Bureau of Reclamation: Lower Colorado Region - Hoover Dam | |
Hoover Dam | |
![]() | |
Nearest city | Boulder City, Nevada |
Coordinates | 36°0′56″N 114°44′16″W / 36.01556°N 114.73778°W |
Built | 1933 |
Architect | Six Companies, Inc. (structural), Gordon Kaufmann (exteriors) |
Architectural style | Art Deco |
MPS | Vehicular Bridges in Arizona MPS (AD) |
NRHP reference No. | 81000382 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | April 8, 1981 |
Designated NHL | August 20, 1985 |
References
change- ↑ Inflated values automatically calculated.
Other websites
changeWikimedia Commons has media related to Hoover Dam.
- Hoover Dam's official website Archived 2003-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
- Official State of Nevada Tourism Site
- Hoover Dam: Lonely Lands Made Fruitful Archived 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
- BBC - Hoover Dam, industrial and social history Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Hoover Dam page
- Dams of the Lower Colorado River - Hoover Dam Archived 2006-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
- "Boulder Dam" – Part I and Parts III and IV, documentary films from the Prelinger Archives at the Internet Archive.
- Construction of diversion tunnel #4 and spillway tunnel which drops sharply to enter diversion tunnel[permanent dead link]
- PBS American experience - Hoover Dam Archived 2009-09-06 at the Wayback Machine