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How Did Mulholland Build The Aqueduct

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During the 1900’s the city of Los Angeles and its surroundings were growing at a fast rate. As an effect, the demand for basic needs developed day by day; more specifically, water demand. The just appointed Los Angeles Bureau of Water Works and Supply, Fred Eaton suggested to build a new aqueduct from Owens Valley to 250 miles south that could store water supply for at least two years. His first step was to hire self-taught engineer, William Mullholland, who seemed to had knowledge about the un-researched area where the aqueduct would be built. After analyzing different options, Mulholland decided to build the dam in San Francisquito. However, Mulholland’s lack of education seemed to worry expert engineers. Therefore, a board named “Aqueduct …show more content…

First, the geology where the dam was being built foreshadowed that “slippage” could happen. Second, the concrete had not been reinforced with steel and it “lacked contraction joints” which helped the expansion of concrete in high temperatures. Third, the dam did not have underneath tunnels or passages that allowed the inspection of the dam to know if cracks or leaks were present. Lastly, Mulholland made the decision to utilize concrete instead of clay cores due to the lack of “clayey” materials. As a result of this material choice, the dam had to be re-designed. Therefore, the dam was built with a 175 feet high curved side with steps going down all the way to the bottom. As mentioned before the city of Los Angeles and its surroundings was growing in increasing in population faster than ever. To proportion this growth, Mulholland added 10 feet to the original height of the dam. However, this adjustment was made without adjusting the width of the dam, resulting in a disproportion. Nonetheless, Mulholland concluded the dam was still within the margins of safety. After two years of construction the dam was completed in May

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