1. The Hoover Dam
By
SYED ALMAS ALI
B.TECH,CIVIL ENGG.
VIT UNIVERSITY
2. Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete
arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado
River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and
Nevada.
It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the
Great Depression and was dedicated on September
30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
3. Construction of the Hoover dam
At the time the dam cost 49$ million to construct.
The dam is 726 feet high, 660 ft thick, and is 1244 ft
long.
Hoover Dam required over 3,250,000 cubic yards of
concrete plus another million for the power plant, intake
towers and other support structures.
With the dam's building complete, in 1935 Hoover Dam
became the largest dam in the world.
4. About the Construction of the Hoover Dam
Geological specialists inspected the volcanic bedrock and found
fault lines that were solid enough to support the structure.
Also they sent out surveying parties to make contour maps
showing that the area would hold 31 million acre feet of water.
The office engineering staff was busy making system
analyses, drawings, specifications, schedules, and cost
estimates.
The work on the Dam was finished in the late 1930’s which
was six months ahead of the projected time.
6. DIVERSION TUNNELS
Two 50-foot diameter tunnels drilled into the canyon.
The tunnels diverted the water around the dam while it
was being constructed
The tunnels area combined 3 miles in length
7. The Canyon
The river over millions of years sunk down into the
canyon
This created many crevasses and loose rocks, which had
to be removed
8. Building Materials
Use of quick-dry concrete
This called for the concrete to be required to be moved
quickly from the production plant to the dam site. .
If it was not moved quickly enough it would set, and had
to be scraped out by hand
9. One of the biggest challenges that the
engineers faced in construction of
the dam was pouring
the concrete. With 4.36 million cubic
yards of concrete this became a
problem fast. The material used for
concrete would create internal heating
when mixed with water. The internal
heat became a problem, because it
would form cracks, which would
weaken the structure and cause
the curing process to slow down. To
resolve the problem the dam was
built in a series of interlocking blocks.
The blocks were connected by cooling
pipes, which cooled the concrete as it
was poured into the blocks. The cooling
of the concrete did not allow heat to
develop and the curing process was
able to proceed faster.
10. Need for the Hoover Dam
The Colorado River was growing out of
control
Flooding increased rapidly
The surrounding states needed water to support people
• Arizona
• Wyoming
• Colorado
• New Mexico
• Utah
11. Serving the Public
Electricity
–Supplies 1.3 million people with electricity
Water
–Supplies surrounding states with drinking water
Flood Prevention
–Prevents floods by holding water back
12. Disservice to the Public
Releases Methane
–Still water causes organic matter to die, releasing methane.
River bed Lowering
–The pressure of the still water is digging into the river bed
Destroys Natural ecosystems
–Many animals lose their shelters
Water Quality is disturbed
13. Water Quality
The amount of dissolved oxygen is lowered because the
water is still.
The temperature is cooler than the normal river.
14. River bed Lowering
The river bed is lowering due to the water building up
In 9 years , the water table sank 4 meters.
