Then ask them to imagine what it might have been like to have that job at Hoover Dam. Ask them to compare and contrast these difficulties with the ones the builders of Hoover Dam faced. The President identified benefits the new dam had already provided. Why or why not? Ask each group to report back to the class. What sort of problems did the river create? Have students list as many kinds of work as they can based on the readings and the images. Bureau of Reclamation. Questions for Map 1. There are 582 miles of cooling pipe in the am to control the temperature of the concrete and prevalent cracks. What might be the advantages of each type of ownership? US accuses 7 Iranians of hacking US banks, New York dam, direct response to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Those managing dam security are bound by a host of government regulations and security standards, 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. To hurry it up, string two or three miles of water pipe around through each five-foot layer of concrete as you pour it. Standard C - The student uses appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools such as aerial photographs, satellite images, geographic information systems (GIS), map projections, and cartography to generate, manipulate, and interpret information such as atlases, data bases, grid systems, charts, graphs, and maps. 3. As you make each section of pipe, X-ray it for defects. What difficulties might those building it encounter? In the early 21st century, almost a million people still come to visit the huge dam every year. It did permit planning for the dam to proceed, however. LESSON NO. Seasonally melting snow has traditionally replenished the river but snowpack on mountaintops in the west has declined by an average of 19% since the 1950s, while soaring temperatures have dried out soils and caused more water to evaporate. The huge volume of water stored in the reservoir weighs so much that it deformed the earths crust, causing more than 600 small earthquakes in the late 1930s. Are there some kinds of works that only government can build? Some of the public works in the community may be historic; students might want to consider nominating them to national or state registers of historic places or including them in walking or driving tours or in on-line travel itineraries for presentation to the local chamber of commerce. Plate steel for making pipes88 million poundswhen you get into pipe 30 feet in diameter, you have to make your own. They paid for all supplies and inspected the contractors work. The tour began at the Hoover Dam Police Department in the Security Command Center, where the security staff monitors the various security, access control, and communications systems on a 24/7 basis. They saw the dam as a potential source of water and hydroelectric power for homes, businesses, and factories. They joined specifically for this project. 1. The spillways at Hoover Dam are only used when the water in the reservoir is so high that it would otherwise overflow the top of the dam. Would Hoover Dam be on their list? 2. Simple? Geologic Formations, National Parks, State Parks, Nature & Wildlife Areas, Canyons, Points of Interest & Landmarks, Historic Walking Areas, Observation Decks & Towers, Points of Interest & Landmarks, Fountains, Points of Interest & Landmarks. At the gate are several agents and they can wave you by or pull you over. The gates of these great diversion tunnels were closed here at Boulder Dam last February. Pipe for ice water581 miles of it will do. Getting money in local budgets to keep them updated or even maintained is often difficult. It is awesome! The driver crossing the bridge does not see the engineering involved. Hoover Dam is 1,244 feet long at the top. This guide contains many large numbers. Hoover Dam: Hoover Dam tour ruined by Dam security! This could be the tip of the iceberg, we may well see much longer, tougher droughts.. They hired and housed the workers. Standard H - The student works independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals. Approximately $5.5 million per year is allocated to all security, including law enforcement. Refer to your textbook if necessary. At Boulder Dam they had to get the electricity from Los Angeles to build the dam which now sends electricity back to Los Angeles. Parker Dam is on the Colorado River, 155 miles downstream from Hoover Dam. Why do you think that was required? Internal combustion engines produce carbon monoxide. The bridge is located high in the mountains above the dam. Make this cofferdam about a hundred feet high, two blocks thick at the base and 70 feet thick on top. It supplies water and power to Los Angeles and other rapidly growing cities in the Southwest. Initially the agency built some relatively small dams on the rivers tributaries. 1. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Go back to Reading 2. Is the image or the reading more useful in helping you understand Hoover Dam? Standard B - The student shows through specific examples how science and technology have changed people's perceptions of the social and natural world, such as in their relationship to the land, animal life, family life, and economic needs, wants, and security. Standard F - The student identifies and explains the roles of formal and informal political actors in influencing and shaping public policy and decision-making. 1942, 18; Historical New York Times Database, accessed 9/20/2011. The mighty waters of the Colorado were running unused to the sea. 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. Commercial vehicle traffic across the dam is restricted. 4) One illustration showing three views of Hoover Dam; and The white bathtub ring around Lake Mead shows the record low water levels as drought continues to worsen in Nevada. 4. Does that help you figure out where the river went? Standard 2AThe student demonstrates understanding of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. The geographic area drained by a river and its tributaries is called a "basin." Every foot of elevation loss reduces the power potential by 5.7 megawatts. Standard B - The student analyzes group and institutional influences on people, events, and elements of culture. The shovels had to remove about 130 feet of soil and loose rock before they could get down to solid rock. Times have also changed at the world's most famous hydroelectric power plant. Even if you dont go inside the dam with a full tour, you should consider stopping here. Who could make that decision? "Everyone undergoes some form of identity verification and must display their identification badge when they are on the facility," Gregson said. Why do you think the construction company was willing to spend the money to build the lookout? Standard C - The student analyzes and explains ideas and governmental mechanisms to meet needs and wants of citizens, regulate territory, manage conflict, and establish order and security. How many gallons of water are in an acre-foot? Nevadas first-round cut of 21,000 acre-ft (an acre-ft is an acre of water, one foot deep) is smaller, but its share is already diminutive due to an archaic allotment drawn up a century ago when the state was sparsely populated. Note that there is a vehicle security checkpoint needed to enter this area. Why do you think President Coolidge's secretary of commerce led the discussions leading up to the Colorado River Compact? From your ice plant, run ice cold brine through the pipes. Do you think anybody today would suggest that no one might notice if you flooded one of them? They were responsible for keeping the project on schedule and within budget. Despite these questions, planning and design went forward. 4. If cracks were to appear in your dam it might cause severe criticism from people living below the damor from their heirs. 6. Standard F - The student describes the role of institutions in furthering both continuity and change. The dam stands 60-stories tall (726.4 feet) The base of the dam is two football fields thick. LESSON NO. Better do that right now.) They should be able to get population data for the states and cities listed above. This PBS production provides materials for teachers, in addition to a history of the dam and some of the people involved in its creation. Constructed between 1930 and 1936, it is the highest concrete arch dam in the United States. How many of them can you count? Why do you think he used the old name in his speech? What benefits would a new dam provide? What role might the federal government be able to play in making decisions like this? All other commercial trafficspecifically, the large semis and busesare not allowed to cross and are turned around at the checkpoints. Standard B - The student creates, interprets, uses, and distinguishes various representations of the earth, such as maps, globes, and photographs. LESSON NO. Why did many people think something needed to be done to control the Colorado River? By this time, however, Reclamation's objective was changing and expanding. All of the water conservation efforts that have kept shortages at bay until now risk being surpassed by the rising heat. Why or why not? The builders soon constructed an observation platform on the canyon rim to keep the tourists away from the construction site. The tour began at the Hoover Dam Police Department in the Security Command Center, where the security staff monitors the various security, access control, and communications systems on a 24/7 basis. Seven states California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Nevada and Mexico are bound by agreements that parcel out the rivers water but those considered junior partners in this arrangement will be hit first. Ask each group to make a short presentation to the class and then have the other students vote on what job would have been the hardest and why. Some marinas have been wrenched from their moorings and moved because they have been left marooned in baking sediment. Now drill holes through the cliffs from towers to power plant. Look carefully at the cut-away view. It stabilizes the flow of water in the river, improving boat navigation. The cut-away view on the right side shows features that would not be visible from the surface. The Hoover Dam is an impressive sight to see. Most of the water is used in the Lower Colorado Basin. All vehicles are required to undergo a security inspection prior to visiting the dam. Materials.The following list will give you most of what you need: At the gate are several agents and they can wave you by or pull you over. Do you think the safety equipment would have kept the men from falling? Hoover Dam. According to Webster's Dictionary, "public works" are construction projects, such as water treatment plants, power plants, flood control systems, and highways and transportation networks that are built by the government for the public. No go. (National Council for the Social Studies). The association added that such a scenario could even force people to move east, in what it called a reverse Dust Bowl exodus. Its base is as thick as two football fields are long. Since 2000, the water level in Lake Mead, which is the reservoir formed by Hoover Dam and holds the title of the largest reservoir in the country, has dropped about 140 feet. Bernardo said a similar shutdown of the Hoover dam would require more than 100ft in further water level retreat, which is not anticipated, although he finds himself constantly hoping for the rains that would ease the tightening shortages. Housing for workers in the new town of Boulder City wasn't ready when these photos were taken. 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. Standard F - The student describes physical system changes such as seasons, climate and weather, and the water cycle and identifies geographic patterns associated with them. How did Reclamation and Six Companies divide the work on the dam? How much would that weigh? It happened outside of the Arizona generator powerhouse at an electric transformer. 4. Dam infrastructure can be affected by natural hazards, man-made threats, as well as an imbalance between resources invested and a dam's age. 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. 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. 2 How do you think the engineers decided where to locate the features shown here? Standard C - The student identifies and describes selected historical periods and patterns of change within and across cultures, such as the rise of civilizations, the development of transportation systems, the growth and breakdown of colonial systems, and others. The dam, the bridge, and Lake Mead are worthy tourist sites. Explain your answer. 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. Rising 726.4 feet, Hoover Dam was the world's tallest . Reclamation engineers began to study the Colorado River soon after passage of the Reclamation Act in 1902. Lakes in Arizona are now so low they cant be used to fight the fires themselves spurred by drought, while the retreat of Lake Folsom in California uncovered the wreckage of a plane that crashed 56 years ago. All visitors, or anyone doing business at the dam, are required to pass through magnetometers and X-ray screening. No sprawling food bowl of wheat, alfalfa and corn. Where does it end? Ask them to consider all kinds of jobs. The permit allows them to show up. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into classrooms across the country. We talked to him about security and access at the site, deemed one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The drought is expected to cause the hydro facility at Lake Oroville, California, to completely shut down, prompting a warning from the United States Energy Association that a megadrought-induced electricity shortage could be catastrophic, affecting everything from food production to industrial manufacturing. Plug the upper end of the tunnels to cut off water from the lake. If the work was consistent with the plans, they approved it for payment. Standard D - The student identifies and uses processes important to reconstructing and reinterpreting the past, such as using a variety of sources, providing, validating, and weighing evidence for claims, checking credibility of sources, and searching for causality. Great way to see an amazing feat of civil engineering. Standard D - The student explains the need for laws and policies to govern scientific and technological applications, such as in the safety and well-being of workers and consumers and the regulation of utilities, radio, and television. Why do you think visitors would drive so far to watch the dam under construction? LESSON NO. They may be surprised at how old and how impressive some of these structures are. Could you build it without men to drive trucks or feed the workers? It is just another bridge even though the engineering that went into it was amazing. In a little over two years this great national work has accomplished much. 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. The amount of concrete used in building it was enough to pave a road stretching from San Francisco to New York City. From Las Vegas, take US Highway 93 South and continue about 20 miles to Boulder City. Standard J - observes and speculates about social and economic effects of environmental changes and crises resulting from phenomena such as floods, storms, and drought. Standard D - The student describes a range of examples of the various institutions that make up economic systems such as households, business firms, banks, government agencies, labor unions, and corporations. It held back what was then, and still is, the largest man-made lake in the United States. Standard I - The student uses economic concepts to help explain historical and current developments and issues in local, national, or global contexts, Theme VIII: Science, Technology, and Society. Today we translate them into a great national possession. Not as exciting as the Grand Canyon but worth the visit. 1. Theme III: People, Places, and Environments. The river, and dam, made the west; now the climate crisis threatens to break it. Weve known this point will arrive because weve continued to use more water than the river provides for years, said Kathryn Sorensen, a water policy expert at Arizona State University. Activity 2: "Seven Wonders of the United States" Pouring the dam.Take cement, rock and sandmix welladd waterpour into canyon. Securing the dam and providing a safe experience for the many visitors requires a robust. Explain your answer. It was one of the most ambitious projects of the early 20th century, requiring millions of cubic feet of concrete and tens. How did the shovels get down into the canyon? Most of the states were afraid California was going to get more than its fair share of the water. 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. The dams, particularly the Hoover Dam, were also intended to control the torrential floods that would come downstream in big water years. Hoover Dam was both listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Each spillway, designed to let floodwaters pass without harming the dam itself, can handle the volume of water that flows over Niagara Falls. But the dam also had an entirely unexpected result, one that began while it was still under construction. Connect them with pipes. 1. 5. Hoover dam is the height of a 60-story building and is 45ft thick at the top and 660ft at the bottom. Why was this work necessary? The left side shows what a visitor looking upstream at the dam would actually see. Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, is the largest reservoir in America. Davis Dam. Finally, ask them to consider which job they themselves would like best. The smallest blocks were about 25 feet by 25 feet square, and the largest blocks were about 25 feet by 60 feet. What might people "miss" about these canyons if they were filled with water? There is a fee for parking. It caused enormous damage and permanently flooded thousands of acres. The dam contains enough concrete to pave a strip 16 feet wide and 8 inches thick from San Francisco to New York City. "The Greatest Dam in the World": Building Hoover Dam relates to the following National Standards for History: Era 8: The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945). The U.S. Reclamation Service, renamed the Bureau of Reclamation in 1923, was created to design and build these systems. In 1924, Reclamation reported that 143,000 people lived on the agency's 24 irrigation projects and that farm earnings for that year totaled $70 million. It was the highest dam in the world when it was completed in 1935. 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. Expanding demand and deferred maintenance may have affected their ability to do their jobs or to do them safely. Wed need three or four above average years, back to back, to restore the lake. 2. 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. Why do you think Six Companies was so anxious to get this part of the project done quickly? Why do you think Reclamations engineers were excited about building the big dam? It would take 150 years for all that concrete in the dam to cool under normal conditions. Standard 1BThe student demonstrates how American life changed during the depression years. What do you think is going on in this image? Its base is as thick as two football fields are long. On May 8, 1933, Ickes decided that the dam in Black Canyon would revert to being called Boulder Dam. In 2010, in the United States there were 38,364 reported suicide deaths. The plan was for construction to start in the fall of 1931, in the depths of the Great Depression, which had begun with the stock market crash of 1929. The Hoover Dam: Fast Facts. Used by permission). If the two don't match, the vehicle is turned away. It includes historic footage of Hoover Dam under construction, including the high scalers in action and the concrete being poured into the forms. 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.