Episode #24: The Troubles Brewing At Lake Mead

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If you know anything about the growth of the desert southwest and California, you know how critical the need for water is for sustainability not to mention the continual massive growth in this part of the country, which to me is amazing.  

90% of the water used for consumption in the Las Vegas metro area which is now at 3 million people plus the 40 million visitors each year comes from Lake Mead and is definitely a real issue but not the only concern. Electricity generated at the Boulder Dam is the other crucial component. Without it, life would not exist as we know it in that part of the country.  

About 20% of the electricity generated at the Hoover Dam power house is consumed by Nevada, the remaining 80% is split between Arizona and California. The picture below is one I took while I was taking a tour which is only about half of the seventeen massive hydro-electric generators located inside at the base of the dam that are completely dependent upon the water released from Lake Mead. 



I have been to Lake Mead and Boulder Dam in Nevada four or five times. The first time was in 1998 while in Las Vegas for an industrial convention and trade show, the last time I was there was in 2020 during a reunion with my sister and brothers. Both of these pictures are mine and taken from nearly the same spot so I know there is no photo editing in either one of them. I inserted the arrows indicating the water level during each of those visits.

The pictures below show the dramatic and on-going lake water level reduction. Granted there are 22 years between these photos, but as you can see the lake level is dramatically lower due to drought, lack of snow melt and increased demand with the continued growth plus the day to day needs of the current population causes a great concern. If the water level decline continues at the current rate, I have to wonder will there even be enough water in Lake Mead to generate any electricity 22 years from now.




If you have never been here before, this dam is a massive structure that will surely boggle your mind when you see it in person. Since I was in the concrete business for 40 years, this structure is an absolute marvel to me. The dam is over 725 feet tall, 45 feet wide (or thick) at the top and 660 feet wide (or thick) at the base. The construction took 4.4 million cubic yards of concrete. As reference a concrete truck you see today can carry 10 cubic yards, so it would take about 440,000 truck loads to haul that much concrete.

One of the environmental conspiracy theories at the time of  construction in the early 1930s was, since there had never been this much concrete placed at one location, the concern that the earth could be tilted on its axis due to the all the weight of this new dam in such a small area. 
Go figure, someone is always thinking outside the box and sometimes that box is empty. 😆 

Note, you see in the photo below a lot of people are wearing blue hard hats. This was a safety requirement and was furnished with a ticket purchased to take the guided tour inside called Behind The Dam Tour that takes you from the street level entrance, down inside and ends up on the back side of the dam seen here.




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Comments

  1. AnonymousDecember 6, 2024 at 4:30 AM

    I took the exact same picture with mama Rose that has the flag in it looking down. It is indeed a marvel. In 22 years i believe there will be many serious concerns. I would be 84, the age my dear mother passed away. May I be as fortunate. Tlc

    ReplyDelete
  2. TonyDecember 6, 2024 at 6:59 AM

    This is a very cool and informative tour. Funny thing, 84 isn't quite as old now as it was when I was a kid ;0)

    ReplyDelete

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