Name: ___________________________ Class: ____________ Date: _____________
Modern Marvels – The Hoover Dam
1. List the four reasons given why the Hoover Dam was built:
a.
b.
c.
d.
2. What river does the Hoover Dam control?
3. Mark the location of the Hoover Dam on the map below. Label each state that the river passes
through.
4. What is the source of the Colorado River?
5. Why was farming around the Colorado River so difficult?
6. What happened to the Imperial Valley and its canal system in 1905?
7. The flooding of 1905 created what is now the Salton sea. Label it on the map above.
8. How does a gravity dam hold back water?
9. How does an arch dam hold back water?
Environmental Science Worksheets and Resources
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10. How much water is in Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam reservoir?
River Diversion
11. Why did the river need to be diverted?
12. What was created to achieve this?
13. How many people died working on the dam? Why was it such dangerous work?
Dam Construction
14. How did the canyon itself have to be physically altered for the dam?
15. Explain how the design and rules of Boulder City lead to the evolution of Las Vegas.
16. Described how the concrete was poured to form the dam. Why wasn’t it all done in one large
block?
17. How did the huge concrete buckets get to the dam?
18. Hard hats, a common piece of construction worker safety equipment now, were first used
during this project. Why did they need the hard hats?
19. What was the purpose of the spillways constructed for the dam?
a. When were they used?
20. How long did it take to fill Lake Mead once the dam was completed?
Hoover Dam Operations
21. What were the three main benefits of constructing the dam?
a.
b.
c.
22. In what ways was the water changed that affected native species, especially fish?
23. What causes silting, and how is it prevented at the Hoover Dam?
24. This is a diagram of Hoover Dam. Explain the purpose of each component:
Intake Towers –
Spillway System (Inlet, Spillway, Outlet) –
Dam –
Power House –
Valve House