[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16715]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 657--CELEBRATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                      DEDICATION OF THE HOOVER DAM

  Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. Ensign, and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 657

       Whereas the Hoover Dam, a concrete arch-gravity storage 
     dam, was built in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River 
     between the States of Nevada and Arizona, forever changing 
     how water is managed across the West;
       Whereas, on September 30, 1935, President Franklin D. 
     Roosevelt dedicated the Hoover Dam;
       Whereas the construction of the Hoover Dam created Lake 
     Mead, a reservoir that can store an amount of water that is 
     equal to 2 years average flow of the Colorado River;
       Whereas the construction of the Hoover Dam provided vitally 
     critical flood control, water supply, and electrical power 
     and helped to create and support the economic growth and 
     development of the Southwestern United States;
       Whereas the Hoover Dam has prevented an estimated 
     $50,000,000,000 in flood damages in the Lower Colorado River 
     Basin;
       Whereas the Hoover Dam provides water for more than 
     18,000,000 people and 1,000,000 acres of farmland in the 
     States of Arizona, California, and Nevada and 500,000 acres 
     of farmland in Mexico, as well as produces an average of 
     4,000,000,000 kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power each 
     year;
       Whereas the Hoover Dam, an engineering marvel at 726.4 feet 
     from bedrock to crest, was the highest dam in the world at 
     the time the Hoover Dam was constructed;
       Whereas the Hoover Dam is an enduring symbol of the 
     ingenuity of the United States and the persistence of 
     hardworking Americans during the Great Depression;
       Whereas the Hoover Dam is the model for major water 
     management projects around the world; and
       Whereas the Hoover Dam is registered as a National Historic 
     Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places and is 
     considered 1 of 7 modern engineering wonders by the American 
     Society of Civil Engineers: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates and acknowledges the thousands of workers 
     and families that overcame difficult working conditions and 
     great challenges to make construction of the Hoover Dam 
     possible;
       (2) celebrates and acknowledges the economic, cultural, and 
     historic significance of the Hoover Dam;
       (3) recognizes the past, present, and future benefits of 
     the construction of the Hoover Dam to the agricultural, 
     industrial, and urban development of the Southwestern United 
     States; and
       (4) joins the States of Arizona, California, Nevada, and 
     the people of the United States in celebrating the 75th 
     anniversary of the dedication of the Hoover Dam.

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