What was 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.

What is the Hoover Dam and why was it built?

The Hoover Dam was built for three main reasons: flood control, to provide irrigation water and to produce hydroelectric power. Flood control though, was the main reason that the Bureau of Reclamation decided to take on the projects. Today, tourism is another bonus for the dam.

What is special about the Hoover Dam?

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.

Why is it called Hoover Dam?

Hoover Dam is named for Mr. Herbert Hoover, the Nation’s 31st president. When construction of the dam was initiated, on September 30, 1930, Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur ordered that the dam to be built in the Black Canyon of the Colorado as part of the Boulder Canyon Project Act be called “Hoover Dam”.

What 3 things does the Hoover Dam do?

The purpose of the Hoover Dam is for power, silt and flood control, irrigation, and water for both industrial and domestic use. When Hoover Dam was finished in 1936 it was the world’s largest hydroelectric power station. It was also the world’s largest concrete structure at the time.

What fills the Hoover Dam?

Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona….

Hoover Dam
Type of dam Concrete gravity-arch
Impounds Colorado River
Height 726.4 ft (221.4 m)
Length 1,244 ft (379 m)

What is the Hoover Dam made of?

Concrete

Hoover Dam
Type of dam Concrete gravity-arch
Impounds Colorado River
Height 726.4 ft (221.4 m)
Length 1,244 ft (379 m)

Who made the Hoover Dam?

Henry J. Kaiser
Gordon Kaufmann
Hoover Dam/Architects

What is the Hoover Dam called now?

Boulder Dam
It was referred to as Hoover Dam after President Herbert Hoover in bills passed by Congress during its construction, but was named Boulder Dam by the Roosevelt administration. The Hoover Dam name was restored by Congress in 1947….

Hoover Dam
Added to NRHP April 8, 1981
Designated NHL August 20, 1985

What is Hoover Dam for kids?

The Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River. The Hoover Dam is in two different counties, both in different U.S. States. The Hoover Dam is in Clark County, Nevada and Mohave County, Arizona, USA. The Hoover Dam is used to generate electricity for people in Arizona, Nevada and California.

Who built Hoover Dam?

Who operates Hoover Dam?

Bureau of Reclamation’s
The Bureau of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Dams Office manages, operates and maintains Hoover, Davis and Parker Dams and their associated powerplants and facilities on the lower Colorado River.

What are Hoover Dam’s main functions?

– Irrigation. Before the dam was built, the southwest had several areas where farming was impossible due to the lack of water. – Water Supply. The authorities also hoped the dam could provide a more reliable supply of water for towns and cities than had been possible before its construction. – Flood Control. – Hydroelectric Power.

Are the Boulder Dam and Hoover Dam the same thing?

There is no difference between Hoover Dam and Boulder Dam. Both are names for the same dam, erected in 1931-36 on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.

What is the purpose of the Hoover Dam?

Summary and Definition: The Hoover Dam is a concrete, arch-gravity dam and its purpose is to provide hydroelectric power, water storage, irrigation and flood control. It is located in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, in Nevada, 35 miles from Las Vegas.

Is the Hoover Dam the largest dam in America?

Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam is one of the largest concrete gravity-arch dams in the US found on the Colorado River, on the Nevada-Arizona border. The dam is one of the world’s largest dams and is the US’s second-tallest in the country reaching a height of 726.4 feet, only surpassed by Oroville Dam .