Photos That Contrast The Pre-Drought To The Drought Period Unless you have seen the Hoover Dam area before the drought it is difficult to picture how much things have changed in such a short time. The 'bathtub ring' is evident but it does not show how much water is actually missing. |
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In August and
September 2004 the spillways are dry with intrusion plants already
having a strong foothold on the freshly exposed river bottom. The dimensions are huge. The left center of this photo shows a parking lot and the little things in it are cars and vans. This picture looks towards the overflow tunnels from near a point about 200 feet above the high water level near Parking Lot 10. |
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 The
April 1999 photo was taken from the parking lot which shown in the 2004
photo above.The huge volume of water which has been consumed in the last five years has changed the spillways. In 1999 Hoover Dam was holding the water back, preventing flooding. In 2004 and beyond Hoover Dam prevents drought by controlling the flow of its increasingly precious water for the benefit of all. The drought photos are definitely shocking in contrast to the older photos but they show Hoover Dam doing its job. While we are in the midst of a major drought in the Desert Southwest there has been no impact on agriculture in the region. Unheralded, the Bureau of Reclamation has with precision and meticulous planning used its vast reservoir system to avert what would have been a significant blow to the American economy as agriculture in the Southwest would have probably have collapsed by now. |
