Electricity In The Air At Glen Canyon Dam

Electricity was literally in the air at the Glen Canyon Dam when this photo was snapped.

 

The Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch dam on the Colorado River in northern Arizona that churns out hydroelectric power around the clock. 

Construction began in 1956 for the purpose of providing power and water flow regulation from the upper Colorado River Basin to the lower. The dam is a 710-foot-tall (216 meter) structure with a crest length of 1,560 feet (475 m). (The crest length is the length across the dam from one abutment to another, with the abutment being the part of the dam that sits against the riverbank.) The dam is 25 feet (7.6 m) thick at the crest and up to 300 feet (91 m) thick at the base. 

The Glen Canyon Dam reservoir is Lake Powell, the second largest artificial lake in the country, which stretches upriver into Utah. The lake is one of the most popular houseboating and water-skiing areas in the United States. Surrounding the reservoir is the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which draws more than 1.9 million visitors annually. 

Glen Canyon Dam's namesake is a colorful series of gorges, most of which are now under Lake Powell.