SMWD Tours the Colorado River Aqueduct

Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD)'s Board President, Betty Olson, Ph.D., and General Manager, Robert Grantham, recently toured the Colorado River Aqueduct with stops at Parker Dam and Hoover Dam. Metropolitan Water District hosted the tour.

Parker Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River, located 155 miles (249 km) downstream of Hoover Dam. Constructed between 1934 and 1938 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, it is notable for being the deepest dam in the world, with 235 feet (72 m) of its 320-foot (98 m) height built below the riverbed to anchor it to bedrock.

As one of the most iconic engineering marvels in the United States, Hoover Dam is a symbol of American industrial achievement during the 20th century. Built during the Great Depression, it

holds back the waters of the Colorado River, forming Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States by volume. The dam was originally known as Boulder Dam but was later renamed in honor of President Herbert Hoover, who played a pivotal role in its development.

Map/model of Colorado River Aqueduct.

Hoover Dam.

Parker Dam.

Betty H. Olson, Ph.D. SMWD Board President Dennis Erdman, South Coast Water District board member, and Robert Grantham, SMWD General Manager, stop to tour Parker Dam.