Salt River Project facts for kids
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| Association: Utility cooperative District: Government-owned corporation |
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| Industry | Public utility |
| Founded | February 7, 1903 |
| Headquarters | Tempe, Arizona, United States |
| Products | Electricity Water |
| Revenue |  US$4.02 billion (FY2023) |
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Operating income
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 US$292 million (FY2023) |
| US$362 million (FY2023) |
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Number of employees
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5,123 (FY2023) |
The Salt River Project (SRP) is a big company in Arizona that does two main things. It provides electricity to homes and businesses in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It also supplies water to much of central Arizona. SRP is one of the most important public utility companies in the state.
SRP is not connected to the Rio Salado Project. Rio Salado means Salt River in Spanish. The Rio Salado Project is about improving the Salt River area in Phoenix.
Contents
Serving the Community
SRP helps almost everyone in the Phoenix area. It shares some of its electricity service area with another company called Arizona Public Service.
How SRP is Managed
SRP is actually made of two separate groups, and each one has its own leaders.
For the water group (the Association), landowners vote for a president, a vice president, 10 board members, and 30 council members.
For the electricity group (the District), landowners vote for a president, a vice president, 14 board members, and 30 council members.
These leaders are chosen in elections held every two years, on the first Tuesday in April. The last elections were on April 7, 2020. Landowners in the SRP service area get to vote. The more land a person owns, the more votes they get. For example, if someone owns five acres, they get five votes.
A Look Back: SRP's History
Long ago, the Hohokam people lived in this area. They were the ancestors of today's Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian and Gila River Indian communities. They built many canals, stretching almost 500 miles! A lot of SRP's current canal system follows these ancient paths.
Early settlers in Phoenix depended on the Salt River for their farms. But the river was tricky. Sometimes it would flood, and other times there would be long droughts. This made farming very hard. People realized they needed a way to control the river.
In 1902, a new law called the National Reclamation Act of 1902 was passed. This law offered low-interest government loans to build projects that would manage water. This helped create the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association in 1903. Farmers and ranchers in the association promised their land as a guarantee for the loans. On February 7, 1903, the association officially started. It was the very first big project under the new reclamation act. Soon after, in 1904, construction began on the Roosevelt Dam.
Building dams was a huge and expensive part of the project. But it was also important to build and improve a system of canals. These canals were designed to carry water from the Salt River to all the members of the association in the valley.
Even while the dam was being built, hydroelectricity was made there. This power was used to make cement and for other needs. In 1906, before the dam was even finished, electricity started to be produced from a generator inside the dam. Most of this electricity, especially what Phoenix used, was sold to another company.
In 1936, Arizona allowed for the creation of special government groups that could pay for large farm projects using tax-free bonds. Soon after, the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District was formed. This was the second part of SRP as we know it today. Over the next few decades, many improvements were made along the Salt and Verde rivers. This led to six reservoirs in the area. At the same time, SRP also built and maintained other power plants across the state.
By 2007, SRP owned or operated eleven power plants and seven hydroelectric plants. They also had agreements to buy power from four large hydroelectric stations on the Colorado River. This made SRP a major provider of electricity in the Phoenix area. Along with the six lakes on the Salt and Verde rivers, SRP also runs dams like the Blue Ridge Reservoir and the Granite Reef Diversion Dam, plus many canals. This makes SRP a main provider of water for Phoenix.
Salt River Lakes
SRP owns and manages four large lakes along the Salt River, east of Phoenix. These lakes mainly store water for the Phoenix area. Together, they can hold over 3.2 million acre feet of water.
These lakes are also popular places for fun activities. People can go fishing there, and there are boat ramps for boating and other watersports.
Theodore Roosevelt Lake
The Theodore Roosevelt Dam and the Roosevelt Lake it creates are considered big achievements for SRP. With the first money raised by the association in 1903, a huge project began several miles east of Phoenix. When it was finished in 1911, Roosevelt Dam was the tallest stone dam in the world, standing 280 feet (85 m) high. It was named after U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who dedicated it.
In 1996, a large project was completed to make the lake bigger. The dam was covered with concrete and made 77 feet (23 m) taller. This made the lake's capacity more than 20% larger. It also helped control floods on the Salt River. After this, the area had a long dry period, so it took a while for the new capacity to be used. In early 2005, the lake finally reached 90% of its full capacity.
When full, Roosevelt Lake covers almost 21,500 acres. It is the largest lake completely inside Arizona. It can hold about 2.9 million acre-feet of water.
Apache Lake
Apache Lake was created by the Horse Mesa Dam, which was finished in 1927. This dam is several miles downstream from Roosevelt Dam and stands 300 feet high. Apache Lake is much smaller than Roosevelt, covering only 2,600 acres when full. It can store about 254,138 acre-feet of water.
Like the other Salt River lakes downstream from Roosevelt, Apache Lake is long and narrow. It fills the bottom of the canyon where it sits. It also has a power station that makes electricity from water.
Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake is the third lake on the Salt River. It was made by the Mormon Flat Dam, which was completed in 1925. This dam was the second one to be finished. It's named after a nearby camping spot where Mormon pioneers used to stop. Canyon Lake is downstream from Apache Lake and is much smaller, covering only 950 acres when full. It holds about 57,852 acre-feet of water. Like the other Salt River dams, it has generators that make hydroelectric power.
Saguaro Lake
Saguaro Lake is formed by the Stewart Mountain Dam, which is downstream from Canyon Lake. This dam was finished in 1930, making it the last of the reservoirs built on the Salt River. Saguaro Lake is a bit larger than Canyon Lake but smaller than the others. It covers 1,280 acres when full and holds about 69,765 acre-feet of water. This dam also has hydroelectric generators.
Verde River Lakes and Other Dams
After finishing the four dams on the Salt River, SRP looked to the smaller Verde River to expand its project. Like the lakes on the Salt River, the Verde River lakes are used for fun activities, as well as for storing water and controlling floods.
Bartlett Lake
The first lake on the Verde River was created by building the Bartlett Dam, which was finished in 1939. This dam is 308.5 feet (94 m) tall. Unlike most dams on the Salt River, this multiple-arch dam does not make hydroelectric power. Bartlett Lake covers 2,700 acres when full, making it larger than all the Salt River lakes except Roosevelt. When full, the lake can hold about 178,186 acre-feet of water.
Horseshoe Lake
Horseshoe Lake is formed by Horseshoe Dam and was finished in 1946. It is upstream from Lake Bartlett. Unlike the other dams built up to this point, a mining company called Phelps Dodge built this one. They did it as part of an agreement to exchange water. In 1949, the city of Phoenix paid for spillway gates for the dam. In return, the city got rights to use some of the water. Like Bartlett, this dam does not make hydroelectric power. When full, it covers 2,800 acres, which is slightly larger than Bartlett. However, it holds less water, only about 131,427 acre-feet at its maximum.
C.C. Cragin Dam and Reservoir
Phelps Dodge, a big mining company in Arizona, built the Blue Ridge Dam (now called C.C. Cragin) in 1965. They built it to help meet their water needs. Three years earlier, an agreement was made to give the facilities to SRP. In 2005, SRP officially took over the dam and water production. C.C. Cragin is located on the Mogollon Rim. It is not on the Salt or Verde rivers, but it is part of the larger water system that SRP manages. This small lake can store about 15,000 acre-feet of water. It is used to add to the water supply for the Gila River Indian Community, northern Gila County, and the town of Payson.
Granite Reef Dam
The Granite Reef Diversion Dam was built near where the Salt and Verde rivers meet. This dam doesn't actually hold back a lake. Instead, it is used to send water from those rivers into the system of canals that go to the Phoenix area. It was actually the first dam built, finished in 1906. It replaced the Arizona Dam, which had been washed away by floods the year before.
SRP's Canal System
SRP runs a network of canals through much of the southern part of the Phoenix area. These canals deliver water from the Salt River system. Some of the main canals SRP operates are:
- Arizona Canal, 38.62 miles long
- Grand Canal, 22.43 miles long
- Consolidated Canal, 18.95 miles long
- Eastern Canal, 14.73 miles long
- Western Canal, 13.61 miles long
- South Canal, 9.91 miles long
- Tempe Canal, 9.76 miles long
- New Crosscut Canal, 3.4 miles long
SRP also manages canals that help control floods throughout the Phoenix area.
Making Electricity
Besides the power made at some of the dams on the Salt River, SRP also owns or helps run several power plants across the state. These include:
- Agua Fria Generating Station
- Coolidge Generating Station
- Coronado Generating Station
- Craig Generating Station
- Desert Basin Generating Station
- Four Corners Generating Station (SRP owns 10%, another company runs it)
- Gila River Generating Station
- Hayden Generating Station
- Kyrene Generating Station
- Mesquite Generating Station
- Navajo Generating Station (SRP owned 42.9%, stopped making power in November 2019)
- Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (SRP owns 20.2%, another company runs it)
- Santan Generating Station
- Arizona Falls
SRP and Other Groups
SRP is part of many different organizations. Here are a few:
- The Public Affairs Council (PAC)
- The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce (GPCC)
- The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- The Greater Phoenix Urban League
- The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
- The Large Public Power Council (LPPC)
- The American Public Power Association (APPA)
- The Labor and Management Public Affairs Committee (LAMPAC)
- The Democratic Attorneys General Association
- The Western Governors Association (WGA)
- The Council of State Governments (CSG)
- The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)
