What is the Hoover Dam controversy?

The dam's name was a source of controversy. Surveyors originally recommended the dam be constructed at Boulder Canyon, leading the initiative to be called the Boulder Canyon Dam Project. Even when Black Canyon later was deemed a better location for the new structure, it continued to be referred to as the Boulder Dam.



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Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, security was again reinforced at Hoover. As a major supplier of electricity to the U.S. defense industry, the dam was deemed to be a prime military target.

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What happens if Lake Mead dries up forever? If Lake Mead were to run out of water, the Hoover Dam would no longer be able to generate power or provide water to surrounding cities and farms. The Colorado River would essentially stop flowing, and the Southwest would be in a major water crisis.

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While the dam is expected to last for centuries, engineers predict the structure could last for more than 10,000 years, surpassing most remnants of human civilization if humans were to disappear from the earth. However, they also predict the dam's turbines without human intervention would shut down within two years.

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According to reports, the structure of the dam creates such a hugely powerful updraft that the air pushes things back against gravity. The dam is shaped like a bow. This structure is the main reason for this unique phenomenon where even the water is pushed upwards by the air.

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While there is no door in the middle of the dam, there are several access points and tunnels that allow workers and maintenance crews to access different parts of the structure. It is an important part of the dam's infrastructure, ensuring that it can continue to function properly and safely for many years to come.

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It wouldn't be flooded, since the water would start draining southeast of the city and rush south down the Colorado canyon away from Las Vegas Valley. However, Las Vegas gets all of its water from Lake Mead, so the city would quickly dry up.

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Officials have warned that dead pool could be reached by 2025, if the lake continues drying up at the rate it is currently.

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Downriver towns and major cities would see the most damage, in the event of the dam's physical collapse. Water flows would engulf many towns and growing cities around Mohave county, including Laughlin, Nevada; Needles, California; Lake Havasu, Arizona; and even as far south as Yuma, Arizona, and San Luis Rey, Colorado.

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