While many Americans think that the federal government in Washington has ballooned out of hand, employment figures indicate that this has not been the case. There has been significant growth in government employment, but most of this has been at the state and local levels.
As a result, the Tigris is more subject to catastrophic flooding than the Euphrates. Annual flooding usually results in the Tigris rising from 4Â½ to 9 feet, with a record rise of 27 feet in 1954.
Two of the most prolific uses for rivers are power generation and irrigation. Hydroelectric dams use rivers to spin turbines that are connected to generators, and nuclear power plants use a constant flow of river water to help cool reactors. River water is also pumped into farms and nurseries to irrigate crops and other vegetation and is used to develop and irrigate previously arid locations.