BluefoxToday blog : Las Vegas to Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam has carved a name for itself for places to see when in Las Vegas. A visit there is well worth it. It was made possible by the Colorado River that gets its start high in the Rockies and after a 1,400-mile twisting run winds up at the Gulf of California. The river was erratic in its natural state, causing flooding in the early summer from snowmelt and then later in the year it would almost dry up. So, a decision was made to control it by dams, most famous of which is the Hoover Dam just a stone's throw outside Sin City.

It's two main benefits are electricity and water. The huge concrete structure sits in Black Canyon and houses inside its thick base 17 massive generators that are 70 feet tall and have 400 moving parts. To do maintenance on one takes three months, they are so large. All in all the dam provides electricity to 13 million customers, and supplies over half of Southern California's power needs.

The primary benefit, though, is water. It brings water to 18 million people, which translates to about 1 in 16 Americans. The farthest customers are way over in San Diego. It provides irrigation to 1.5 million acres of crop land in U.S. and Mexico. As you can see, it's a major source for water here in Southwest. The seven states and Mexico through which Colorado runs are part of an agreement that spells out how the water is divvied up.

Lake Mead is the reservoir that the dam established, the largest in the nation. Locals like to go there to do boating and I guess there is some fish in it, too. The dam itself is a tourist attraction, drawing 1 million visitors a year. If you go, take the guided tour and ride the elevator down to the base. From there you can really see and understand, when looking up, how huge it is. And while back on top, you'll notice the water rings on the rock surrounding the lake that tells you about the drought affecting our area.