The Hoover Dam, An Engineering Marvel And A Public Works Success Story

The Governor Edmund G. Brown California Aqueduct is a system of canals, tunnels, and pipelines that transports water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the valleys in Northern and Central California to Southern California. The over 400-mile aqueduct is the primary feature of the California State Water Project.

The Grand Coulee Dam, located in Eastern Washington, was one of controversy, risk, and a point of no return. While the water captured made the desert area blossom in agriculture and it powered some large cities, it created a sense of accomplishment, that humans can control Mother Nature. While many people were very excited for this new construction – which gives power and resources - at the time, some thought it should not be allowed, they are not proud of containing the Columbia River. In this analysis, I am going to focus on the economic and social effects that the Grand Coulee Dam created in its build.

The article “Down go the dams” by Jane C.Marks aim to provide an informative view on the current pending issue on Dams. The article starts out my mentioning the important nature of dams in our society. For example, Jane C.Marks states that today about 800,000 dams operate worldwide as well as the fact that most were built in the past century, primarily after World War II. Furthermore, the author lays down informative facts about dams such as the fact that dams control flooding and their reservoirs provide a reliable supply of water for irrigation, drinking and recreation which are all very important to society. In an economic standpoint, although it is very high maintenance dams provide jobs for people. The

In the third section of John McPhee's Encounters with the Archdruid, the author observes the discourse between conservationist David Brower and Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, Floyd Dominy, on the merits of dams in the southwestern United States. Brower "hates all dams, large and small," while Dominy sees dams as essential to our civilization. The Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, which Dominy created, are the main issue of debate between the two men.

The 1930s were not for a moment easy since the Great Depression, which was the utmost absolutely horrible stock-market crash the U.S. has ever dealt with. But when the government planned to start building glorious architectures, people had jobs that paid exceptionally well and could afford to own a home in “depressed” America. When President Hoover was nominated president, he tried to change the ways of the depression, by increasing tariffs so imported goods would stay away, which never helped at all (Owen). Sadly, President Hoover should have just focused on helping the people, like increasing taxes that would cause the wealthy to more, and he would give the people some money back.

The Three Gorges Dam is an unfinished project which will be the largest dam ever constructed on the planet Earth. It is situated in China on the third largest river in the world – the Yangtze. The dam has been debated over since the 1919 and is still a hot topic of debate because of its many pros and cons. In 1994 construction began on the dam, and it is expected to be finished by the year 2009. The massive dimensions of the dam are mind boggling and its functions – if the dam actually works – are truly remarkable; however, with such a large structure also comes difficulties, sacrifices, and cynics. The goal of this essay is to lend an understanding of the dam itself, the prospective benefits of

Repeated events, highlighted by the flood of 1993 and the fallout of Katrina, continues to illustrate the US Army Corps of Engineers’ failure in strengthening flood control up and down the Mississippi, including the redesign and upgrading levees. America is a product of this constant struggle in dominating nature using science and reason.

The digitized version of this primary source gives a relaxed feel compared to the picture at the Harry Ransom Center. The observer is able to interact with the primary source and can zoom in and out when needed. The brine pipes are hazy in the physical photo, but the digital photo is significantly enhanced. The advantages of the museum version are that because it is the original document, the observer can visualize the picture the same way as a person from the 1930s. The reader eighty-five years ago interpreted it as “environmental imagination” (Sayers). By seeing the actual document you can observe the physical aspects of the primary source.

Constructing the first transcontinental railroad in the United States of America was arguably our country's crowning achievement for engineering ingenuity and determination in the 19th century. The railroad was a herculean of a task that required extensive proper prior planning, muscle, blood and tears that has rarely ever been seen before or to this day. In addition to the brains behind the operation and the labor force that drove this project to completion, the railroad companies (Central Pacific and Union Pacific R.R.) responsible wouldn’t have even gotten beyond the first mile without the political representatives that lobbied on their behalf in front of Congress. The man by the name Judah was the sole individual that garnered government backing behind Central Pacific.

“I’ll stay here until the water comes up and float down with it when it does,” Mattie Randolph, a housewife from Eastern Tennessee told a TVA worker on his first visit to her family’s house. The TVA worker was there to buy her property which was scheduled to be submerged after the construction of the Norris Dam in 1936. The Randolph’s were one of three thousand families that were being forced to relocate in order to complete the project. Even though all of Mattie’s neighboring families had accepted government offers to buy their land, Mattie and her family were the only to refuse government purchase offers. This is a similar story to those that played out across Eastern Tennessee in the 30’s, 40’s as the newly formed TVA sought to transform

As the head of the department of power, Mr. Mulholland faced a huge challenge which was to provide water for a rapidly grwoing city. People really need water for getting clean. Mullholland thought he could help the people to get get water by building a dam. He was mostly doing it for money. More water is always best for LA County because all California has is sum most of the time, especially Southern California. Mr. Mulholland conceived a daring plan to build the largest Dam in the world located in San Francisquito Canyon.

In southern Nevada, there’s a relatively small town with great history, run by its laws of old as it was initially ahead of its time. All the way back to the early 20th century, on December 21, 1928, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act that authorized the building of Hoover Dam and creation of charming, unique Boulder City. Thus, Boulder City, or, so they called it at the time, the “Boulder Canyon Project Federal Reservation” began its journey to existence.

     As previously mentioned, the Boulder Dam was one of the most famous, and certainly most expensive (with the whole project costing about $385 million) public works program. To provide jobs and much needed money to unemployed Americans, the Bureau of Reclamation, under President Hoover, authorized the Boulder Canyon Project on the Colorado River in 1928. The entire project included a hydroelectric power plant and a reservoir to control floods of the Colorado River and supply power to the Pacific Southwest. The dam reservoir is Lake Mead, which can store approximately 28 million acre-feet of water, making it one of the world’s largest artificially created bodies of water. Besides providing many jobs, the project responsible for the officially named Hoover Dam (as of 1947), added about 3 million acres of national parks and monuments and expanded

We entered on the Nevada side of the dam. Be prepared for a very long line to park close to the dam. We waited for about 45 minutes. I read that there was free parking a good ways from the dam on the Arizona side, but we just opted to pay the $10. Also you can take a tour of the Powerplant and general Dam tours. They didn't off the Dam Tour when we were there, but you can purchase tickets for $30 a person. Powerplant tours are $15 for adults and $12 for kids. The museum tour is $10 a person. We did the museum, and I didn't really think it was worth the $10. The museum does offer a good view of the dam if that's what you're aiming for.

Some of the challenges faced during construction of the hoover dam were the contractor’s ability to meet the bond, river diversion, dangerous working conditions and the volume of concrete required. The Hoover dam was built at a time when resources were more scarce during the great depression. The contractors would have to come up with a five million dollar