Historic American Engineering Record: Mormon Flat Dam, Maricopa County, Arizona and Horse Mesa Dam, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

Together, Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) Numbers AZ-14 and AZ-15 describe the origins, development, and expansion of power generation and delivery facilities along the Salt River to service residents of the Salt River Valley. This report, HAER No. AZ-14, presents a full narrative history of the Reclamation Service's and the Salt River Valley Water User's Association's efforts to expand the Salt River Project's hydroelectric program. It details the construction and use of Mormon Flat Dam, which impounds water along the Salt River to form Canyon Lake, and the construction and use of Horse Mesa Dam, which impounds water along the river to form Apache Lake. It also includes photographs, drawings, and maps of Mormon Flat Dam. HAER No. AZ-15 (see https://core.tdar.org/document/393155) contains photographs, drawings, maps, and/or plans that detail the construction and use of Horse Mesa Dam.

Mormon Flat Dam was the first dam constructed under the Salt River Project's 1920's hydroelectric expansion program. Currently, the dam is operated by the Salt River Project for the purposes of generating hydroelectric power and for storing approximately 57,000 acre feet of water for agricultural and urban uses. Horse Mesa Dam was the second dam constructed under the Salt River Project's 1920's hydroelectric expansion program. Currently, this dam is operated by the Salt River Project for the purposes of generating hydroelectric power and for storing approximately 245,000 acre feet of water for agricultural and urban uses.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• USDI Bureau of Reclamation, PXAO, Historic American Engineering Records (HAER), Salt River Project, Horse Mesa Dam and Mormon Flat Dam: Expansion of Power Generation and Delivery Facilities along the Salt River   •
• National Archeological Database (NADB)

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1927 to 1989 (Alterations and additions to the Salt River Water User's Association's Hydroelectric Program and modifications to Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa dams)

Calendar Date: 1924 to 1927 (Horse Mesa Dam Construction)

Calendar Date: 1923 to 1925 (Mormon Flat Dam construction)

Calendar Date: 1890 to 1922 (History of Salt River Project, Salt River Water User's Association, and the expansion of hydroelectric power generation in the Salt River Valley)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Sponsor(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Prepared By(s): Salt River Project Archives

Submitted To(s): National Park Service, Western Region

Record Identifiers

Historic American Engineering Record No.(s): AZ-14

NADB document id number(s): 2203104

NADB citation id number(s): 000000167208

Notes

Redaction Note: Sensitive information has been removed from the publicly accessible digital copy of this report. The following figures/photograps and/or pages have been redacted: Figures/Photographs AZ-14-37 through AZ-14-61, Appendix II, pg. 132, and Appendix III pg. 134. Please contact the archaeologist at the USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office to obtain a complete digital copy of the report.

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