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<br />
<br />The Benefits
<br />
<br />A Significant Prophecy Realized
<br />On September 30, 1935, less than 5
<br />years after construction started, President
<br />Franklin D. Roosevelt said in dedication
<br />ceremonies at Hoover Dam:
<br />
<br />'This is an engineering victory of the
<br />first order- another great achievement of
<br />American resourcefulness, skill and
<br />determination. 771lS is why I congratulate
<br />you who have created Boulder Dam2 and
<br />on behalf oj the Nation say to you,
<br /><well done:"
<br />
<br />The huge dam, an outstanding feat of
<br />modern engineering technique and con-
<br />struction skill, was complete. It stands
<br />today as an enduring monument to man's
<br />ingenuity.
<br />Hoover Dam is significant beyond its
<br />physicial proportions and the con-
<br />struction skills and techniques it
<br />represents. It is also significant because
<br />of the benefits it confers on the entire
<br />Lower Coloradio River Basin, benefits
<br />manifested in every phase of the
<br />Nation's economy. It was the prospect
<br />of these benefits that provided the
<br />driving incentive for those whose
<br />concerted action made it possible to
<br />construct the project.
<br />When the U.S. Senate Committee on
<br />Irrigation and Reclamation endorsed con-
<br />stmction of Hoover Dam in March
<br />1928, it made this prophecy:
<br />
<br />'/1 mighty river, now a source of
<br />destruction, is to be curbed and put to
<br />work in the interests of society. "
<br />
<br />Fulfillment of this prophecy has brought
<br />about several major benefits:
<br />_ Flood control-lives and property
<br />formerly at the mercy of the unbridled
<br />river are less likely to he flooded.
<br />_ Water for irrigating up to a million
<br />acres of rich land in this country and
<br />nearly one-half million in Mexico. More
<br />
<br />'RCHaITlt'd l-I(XlVCr Dam in 1947 by the 801h Cong"''''
<br />
<br />Colorado River water has turned desert land Ilea/"
<br />Yuma, ArizO/Ja, into productive croplands.
<br />
<br />than half of the acreage in the United
<br />States was under cultivation when
<br />Hoover Dam was built, but crop success
<br />or failure was dictated largely by the
<br />vagaries of the river.
<br />_ Water for domestic, industrial, and
<br />municipal use by the people of the
<br />Southwest.
<br />_ Elimination of the damaging, clogging
<br />sediment that formerly cost more than a
<br />million dollars yearly to remove from
<br />canals and irrigation ditches.
<br />_ A national playground and recreation
<br />area.
<br />- Fish and wildlife conservation.
<br />_ Generation of pollution-free, low-cost
<br />hydroelectric power.
<br />
<br />Controlling the Floods
<br />
<br />Set in the midst of the deep mauve and
<br />russet tones of the surrounding moun-
<br />tains and mesas, shining in the bright
<br />southwestern sun, a clear blue lake
<br />stands behind Hoover Dam. It is called
<br />Lake Mead in honor of Dr. Elwood
<br />Mead, Bureau of Reclamation conunis-
<br />sioner from 1924 to 1936.
<br />Lake Mead, America's largest man-
<br />made lake, holds 28,537,000 acre, feet of
<br />water when full at elevation 1221.4 feet
<br />above sea level. At this elevation, the
<br />lake extends 110 miles upstream above
<br />the dam, has a maximum depth of 500
<br />feet and a water surface area of 157,900
<br />acres.
<br />With the help of upstream dams and
<br />reservoirs, Lake Mead controls not only
<br />flash floods that may occur at any time,
<br />but also the high runoff that normally
<br />occurs each spring and summer.
<br />Lake Mead is operated for flood con,
<br />trol purposes under criteria established
<br />by the Bureau of Reclamation and the
<br />U.S. Anny Corps of Engineers. Fullill-
<br />iog this function, and meeting the
<br />seasonal needs of storing or releasing
<br />
<br />29
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