This month marks the 25th anniversary of the raising of Roosevelt Dam, a $430 million water infrastructure project that raised the height of the dam by 77 feet, more than doubling the lake's capacity and creating additional water supplies to serve more than 850,000 households per year.
As SRP celebrates the anniversary of the improvements made to Roosevelt Dam, the public power utility and water provider is also celebrating the partnerships with local and federal agencies that helped make this project a reality. SRP worked with the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Maricopa County Flood Control District and the cities of Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Glendale to fund and implement the modifications at Roosevelt Dam.
The investment by the cities made it possible to store additional water for use in their communities, while investments by the federal government and flood control district helped ensure that the dam could protect downstream communities from the flood-prone Salt River. The modified Theodore Roosevelt Dam allows partners to store more renewable surface water during the years with high precipitation and helps offset SRP and partner groundwater pumping to preserve aquifers.
"Building Roosevelt Dam and then later increasing its height to ensure safety and allow for more storage capacity has provided the Valley with safe and reliable water through dry and wet periods." said Dave Roberts, SRP associate general manager for Water Resources. "This important infrastructure investment is an example of the type of water infrastructure investments that will prepare SRP to serve the Valley for the next 100 years, especially as we prepare for the impacts of climate change."
As part of a continuing strategy to strengthen SRP's water resiliency, the utility is working with Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other partners to evaluate options to improve the operational flexibility available in the Roosevelt Dam flood control space.
This would allow SRP and its partners more time during the runoff season to put the water to beneficial use or to store it underground for later use. It would also provide an opportunity to improve the water security of communities in Central Arizona that face potential future shortfalls based on expected demands or available supplies, such as those affected by shortage on the Colorado River.
"This new proposed project will play a critical role as we continue to prepare our infrastructure and operations for the future while also creating opportunities to help sustainably meet the water needs of Central Arizona," Roberts said.
Armed with research and input from stakeholders and partnering with federal agencies and other agencies, SRP will continue to invest in its infrastructure to help improve the management Arizona's most precious resource.