ThothAmon Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 European seeking assistance I'm looking for a suitably grand hydroelectric dam complex in mainland USA to use as a locale for an unusually epic set-piece. ATM I'm considering the Hoover Dam although I'm very open to suggestions, especially if there are alternatives that are close to large population centres. What would be the result of the Hoover Dam being destroyed? Other than the sudden draining of Lake Mead? What areas are likely to be flooded / inundated downstream from the dam? I've been touring the Wikis on this and have yet to come to a sober conclusion. Advice / suggestions from the natives would be most appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? Hit one of the Columbia or Snake River dams and things will be bad in the Tri-Cities (Pasco, RIchland, Kennewick WA), at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia. Lower Granite Dam, about 20 minutes' drive from Pullman is the only one of them I've visited. Used to be you could drive across it, but the post-9/11 security measures ended up closing that (which is utterly nonsensical to me, but that's not not the only such item). The Tri-Cities is the last major urban complex as you go upstream. Knock out Bonneville Dam, the lowest of the Columbia dams, and Portland suffers mightily. Our Portland folks may have more to say abotu that. Check out this map of the Columbia river system and dams. Another good link about the Columbia basin dams. Now, destroying any of them is a nontrivial task... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted December 7, 2005 Report Share Posted December 7, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? What would be the result of the Hoover Dam being destroyed? Other than the sudden draining of Lake Mead? What areas are likely to be flooded / inundated downstream from the dam? IIRC some 80% of the water used in LA comes from the Colorado river, so that would be a major effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? Don't forget that Hoover Dam is the linchpin of the electrical power grid for several states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? oplsu hoover dam is pretty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrine Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? Don't forget that Hoover Dam is the linchpin of the electrical power grid for several states. [Trivia]Which is why the hydroelectric power Wonder in the Civilization series of computer games is called "Hoover Dam".[/Trivia] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Limmer Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? [Trivia]Which is why the hydroelectric power Wonder in the Civilization series of computer games is called "Hoover Dam".[/Trivia][More Trivia]Until Civ IV' date=' where it's been renamed "Three Gorges Dam" (the really big one being built in China, or are they done already?).[/More Trivia'] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 8, 2005 Report Share Posted December 8, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? I assume you have data already on the WW2 dam-busting attacks and effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trained Chicken Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? European seeking assistance I'm looking for a suitably grand hydroelectric dam complex in mainland USA to use as a locale for an unusually epic set-piece. ATM I'm considering the Hoover Dam although I'm very open to suggestions, especially if there are alternatives that are close to large population centres. What would be the result of the Hoover Dam being destroyed? Other than the sudden draining of Lake Mead? What areas are likely to be flooded / inundated downstream from the dam? First, unless you intend to tour the area in question with your gaming group, you're probably better off nicking some info from a map or encyclopedia and making up your own scenario. Although there are good places to use, none can compare with the one only you can imagine. Second, if Hoover Dam went up (very unlikely, on account of its tremendously sturdy construction, contrary to popular movies and so forth), whatever happens in Vegas would end up downstream of Vegas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boll Weevil Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? Also, have a look-see at: http://people.howstuffworks.com/hydropower-plant.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted December 9, 2005 Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? What areas are likely to be flooded / inundated downstream from the dam? The natural outflow channel from Hoover Dam is down the Colorado River. While there are some dinky towns along that, there's nothing big. (It's in the middle of the Mojave Desert.) It drains into the Gulf of California. Probably some spillover will go west along the All-American Canal and refill the Salton Sea (which wouldn't be bad, actually). But generally, there just isn't much collateral damage to be done directly by the flood if Hoover Dam were broken open. The loss of water supply for the Los Angeles Basin is catastrophic, but more on a day-or-two timescale than the hour-or-so timescale of an advancing flood wave. That's part of the reason I suggested Bonneville Dam, because Portland, Oregon is on the main outflow channel from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThothAmon Posted December 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? Thanks all for your responses. I originally chose the Hoover Dam because of its fame and gravity dam construction. Lack of nearby population centre was a factor against it. As to the physics of dam destruction, not really an issue when the Army Corps Of Engineers have been duped into running 'wargames' by a highly-placed mole. ATM I favour a fictional setting, with second place for Portland as the real-world city most likely to float into the Pacific in the next few months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted December 10, 2005 Report Share Posted December 10, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? You could always threaten to drown Los Angeles! http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/LADamStory/ Back in 1971, a dam almost gave way after an earthquake. If it had, LA's main "bedroom communities" would have been wiped out. The current dam is stronger, but it could still be destroyed in a superheroes/supervillain(s) battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? A dam burst today in Southern Missouri. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrine Posted December 14, 2005 Report Share Posted December 14, 2005 Re: Help With Hydroelectric Dam Complexes In USA...? [More Trivia]Until Civ IV' date=' where it's been renamed "Three Gorges Dam" (the really big one being built in China, or are they done already?).[/More Trivia'] Well, I was interested in Civ IV... but if political correctness has set in, maybe I'm not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.