Hoover dam's impressiveness outweighed even the annoyances of Spring Break crowds. This was my first trip inside to see the mechanism which helped tremendously since I had grown fuzzy on how the dam actually works. Our tour guide clarified how they dealt with the initial side channels that had to be constructed in order to stop the central flow of the Colorado River in order to build the dame. It was built as a WPA project back in the late 1930s when certain parts of our government had a bit more compassion than now for its citizens who were unemployed as a result of lack of accountability among those in power.
1.) The dam is not attached to the surrounding rock. Why? More flexible and thus more sustainable during earthquakes.
2.) Climate Change is affecting Hoover Dam. Apparently the water level of Lake Mead was recently down 150 feet! Last year (2011, record snows), the level rose 50 feet but the lake is still too low. You can see the level change below, where the bleached rock weaves around the top of the lake. I was glad our guide explicitly told the tour group that Climate Change was making things unpredictable for Hoover Dam.
Today I did a little Internet sleuthing and, through DEMOCRACY NOW, came across Amy Goodman's article on Climate Change & the Maldives. She mentions a recent article in Scientific American from September 16, 2011 entitled: "World's Dam's Unprepared for Climate Change Conditions." The article quotes John Matthews (Director of fresh water & adaption for Conservation International) on Hoover Dam saying it:
"...was designed based on a 30-year period that had marked higher precipitation levels than today. As a result of a decade of drought, the dam is now operating at only 30 percent of its capacity...and new mechanisms have been added to cope with the lower water levels."
I found Matthews next comment especially interesting given my non-profit work in Guatemala:
"When infrastructure plans are based on a set climate scenario, rather than a flexible one, it can be very costly in both human and economic terms, especially in the developing world..."
More on this in another post.
For now, I wanted people to see the beautiful design in the marble floor near the turbines. It is a Native American motif and I believe it's good to channel that energy here since they were the people we could learn from in terms of making choices based on seven generations ahead of the present.
2 comments:
I visited Hoover Dam several years ago, and also went to the beautiful Red Rock Canyon. The dam is quite an amazing structure, but there are many environmental problems that come with these big dams, not only the current climate change, all from people wanting to live and farm in places that are not ideal for either. Of course this dam dried up the water going to Mexico. But it's a stunning structure.
Thanks for your thoughtful remarks, Altoon. I agree that big dams like this are not ideal. Now, I think, the question becomes how to manage them as some are here. I'd like to discuss that more in context with some examples from Guatemala in a future post.
Given your paintings, I would think the structural elements would compel you...
Post a Comment