Three Gorges Dam: China

World Records Set by the Three Gorges Dam

The world’s largest and grandest water conservancy project, the Three Gorges Dam has set a series (over 100) of world engineering records by various indices. It is, or has:-

- the world’s most effective multi-functional water control system, consisting of a dam, a five-tier ship lock, and 26 hydropower turbo-generators;
- the world’s largest power station, total installed capacity reaching 18.2 million kW and annual power generation 846.7 billion kWh;
- the world’s grandest engineering project for water conservancy, earthwork (excavation & backfilling) totaling 134 million m3, concrete consumption 279.4 million m3, steel reinforcement 463,000 tonnes;
- the world’s greatest floor discharging capacity, up to 102.5 m³/s;
- the world’s largest number of stages of ship locks (staircase locks, nos. two, each with five stages and a total water head of 113m);
- (yet to be completed) the world’s largest ship lift (dimension of the basin: 120×18×3.5m), maximum vertical travel distance being 113m, capable of lifting ships of 3000t;
- the world’s largest human resettlement program associated with an engineering project, total population having to be relocated being estimated at 1.13 million.

Potash Mining

This Potash mine is located 20 miles west of Moab. The mine began underground excavation in 1964 and was converted in 1970 to a solar evaporation system. This mine produces between 700 and 1,000 tons of potash per day.
Water is used from the nearby Colorado River in the production of Potash by a company called Intrepid Potash®. Water is pumped through injection wells into the underground mine which dissolves layers of potash more than 3,000 feet below the surface. The resulting "brine" is then brought to the surface and piped to 400 acres of shallow evaporation ponds. A blue dye is added to the ponds to assist in the evaporation process. These ponds are lined with vinyl to keep the brine from spilling back into the Colorado River. A major by-product of this process is salt. The salt is used for water softening, animal feed and oil drilling fluids as well as many other applications.