Hoover Dam, challenged by drought, now wears a U.S. flag the size of a football field

Nope, it’s not AI. It’s conscionable a truly large emblem with agleam lights, draped connected Hoover Dam for the adjacent respective weeks.

As a show to people the 250th day of U.S. independence, the states of Nevada and Arizona and the national Bureau of Reclamation teamed up to bent and illuminate an tremendous American emblem connected the dam connected Memorial Day.

The display, scheduled to beryllium successful spot done July 4, is disposable to anyone crossing betwixt Arizona and Nevada connected U.S. Route 93, which goes crossed the apical of the dam. The emblem is 150 feet gangly and 300 feet long, dispersed connected the south-facing broadside of the dam and lit by 550 LED lights (powered by dam-generated electricity).

A wider presumption of the illuminated U.S. emblem astatine Hoover Dam.

(Michael Bittle)

It’s a spectacle that comes astatine a challenging infinitesimal for Hoover Dam, arsenic experts pass that Lake Mead’s dwindling h2o levels could endanger the dam’s quality to make hydropower. “Slap a emblem connected it, that’ll hole it,” suggested 1 of respective Reddit commenters who were moved to snarkiness by the emblem image.

The dam, a predominant day-trip destination from Las Vegas, stands 35 miles eastbound of the Las Vegas Strip, astir 295 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The tract features a visitant halfway and overlook, and guided and self-guided tours.

Installation of the show progressive dozens of riggers and 2 cranes. The flag, which is astir the dimensions of a shot field, has been antecedently utilized for celebrations astatine Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders shot games.

Within 2 days aft it was hung, gusts of upwind up to 50 mph prompted organizers to little the emblem past Wednesday arsenic the National Weather Service declared a upwind advisory for the area. Organizers raised the emblem again precocious Friday.

Strong winds are not uncommon successful the area. Organizers said upwind “may periodically necessitate the emblem to beryllium temporarily lowered.” Updates connected the flag’s presumption tin beryllium recovered connected the Hoover Dam Facebook page.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority paid for the display. A spokeswoman said the cost, including flag, production, installation costs and six weeks of lighting, volition beryllium betwixt $750,000 and $1 million.

The dam, a five-year operation occupation that was completed successful 1936 during the depths of the Great Depression, is often hailed arsenic 1 of the nation’s astir awesome works of infrastructure. Though this is not the archetypal clip a emblem has been draped connected it, organizers person called the show “the astir ambitious long-duration installation ever attempted astatine Hoover Dam.”