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Hoover Dam
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Aerial view of Hoover Dam spanning the Colorado River between steep rocky cliffs in Black Canyon, with Lake Mead behind the dam and arid mountains surrounding the area.
Hoover Dam's role in forming Lake Mead
Hoover Dam Lake Mead Hoover Dam: intake towers Hoover Dam: hydraulic turbines Hoover Dam intake towers Hoover Dam and (background) Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona border. Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the Colorado River, Arizona-Nevada, U.S. A bypass bridge (foreground; shown under construction) opened in 2010 to carry a federal highway across the Black Canyon just downstream of the dam. Hoover Dam
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(Left) Eiffel Tower; (right) Washington Monument. Combo using assets (Eiffel Tower) 245552 and (Washington Monument) 245554.
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Aerial view of Hoover Dam spanning the Colorado River between steep rocky cliffs in Black Canyon, with Lake Mead behind the dam and arid mountains surrounding the area.
Hoover Dam Hoover Dam, on the Colorado River at the Arizona-Nevada border, U.S.

Hoover Dam

dam, United States
Also known as: Boulder Dam
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

Hoover Dam, dam in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, at the Arizona-Nevada border, U.S. Constructed between 1930 and 1936, it is the highest concrete arch-gravity dam in the United States. It impounds Lake Mead, which extends for 115 miles (185 km) upstream and is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. The dam is used for flood and silt control, hydroelectric power, agricultural irrigation, and domestic water supply. It is also a...

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