Hoover Dam/Lake Mead

One of the reason we stayed in Vegas was to see the surrounding area. Today we are on our way to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead is located about 20 miles southeast of Vegas. It was formed as a result of the Boulder Dam Project in 1935. As the river backed up in Black Canyon it formed a series of rivers and coves including Lake Mead and Lake Mohave below the dam. When Lake Mead is completely filled it has a capacity of 46 billion cubic yards which is enough to store two years worth of the Colorado River flow. Again completely filled it is 500 feet deep and has a shoreline greater than 500 miles. Enjoyed by boaters, swimmers, and outdoor enthusiasts, Lake Mead is an extremely popular recreational area.

Overlooking Lake Mead

Built during the depression years, the Hoover Dam once known as Boulder Dam was started in April 1931 and completed in 1935. It stretches across the Black Canyon and spans the Colorado River between Arizona and Nevada. Intended to prevent flooding, provide irrigation water, and power to the surrounding area the concrete arch-gravity structure stands 726 feet tall and is 1,244 feet wide. There is enough concrete in the Hoover Dam that would pave a normal highway 16 feet wide from San Francisco to New York City.

Hoover Dam

Above the dam are four large concrete structures better known as the intake towers. Each tower is 395 feet tall and controls one-quarter of the water for the power plant turbines.

Intake Towers

One of the most common questions asked is... can the Colorado River overflow the dam? The answer is it never has and probably won't for a few reasons. If water was to go over the dam it would enter the power houses and generators at the base. Water and electricity do not mix. When creating the dam they made spillways which work similar to the overflow hole in your bathtub. These spillways are 27 feet below the top of the dam one on each side of the river. Any water reaching that height will automatically flow into the spillways. Each spillway can handle the equivalent of the Niagara River flowing over Niagara Falls.

One of the spillways

Drought and overuse has caused the Colorado River and consequently Lake Mead to fall to less than half of it's capacity. This is very noticeable by the "bathtub ring" around the shoreline in Black Canyon. The ring is colored white as a result of mineral deposits on the surface that were once under water.  

"Bathtub ring" along the shoreline

At one time all traffic using the US 93 had to travel across the Hoover Dam. In the wake of 9-11 terrorist attacks and the increase in traffic flow, a Hoover Dam Bypass was needed. With the opening of the four lane concrete arch bridge in October 2010 through traffic was diverted and no longer allowed across the Hoover Dam.

The Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge