From a natural wonder of the world to an engineering marvel of the world… No Hoover Dam, no Las Vegas - the explosive growth not only Vegas, but of much of the US Southwest was made possible by the construction of the Hoover Dam across the Black Canyon of the Colorado River in the 1930’s. We drove over the crest (nearly 400 meters), peered over the depth (221 meters) and explored the inside tunnels and turbines on a tour…All hugely impressive. Then we toured just a little of Lake Mead’s 885 km shoreline.
It’s still America’s biggest reservoir and has sweeping panoramas of desert scenery and mountain ranges around every turn. But it is also a very clear indicator of climate change and resource over-use: the centre image below shows the dam intake tower and how far beneath the top the water level now rests – you can also see the white tide mark of the former lake level in the background. The latest estimates suggest that Hoover Dam and Lake Mead will be unable to provide water and power by the end of this decade as a result of Lake Mead’s shrinkage. Read my review of an illuminating book for more on this at: www.chrisrobinsontravelshow.ca
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