Granite Reef Aqueduct and Transmission System Feasibility Alignment Surveys and Investigations

Part of: Granite Reef (Hayden-Rhodes) Aqueduct

Archaeological investigations of the Granite Reef Aqueduct and Transmission System (GRATS) were initiated in 1968, the year in which construction of the Central Arizona Project was authorized by the Colorado River Basin Act (P.L. 90-537). Two feasibility alignment surveys (Euler 1968; Dittert, Fish and Simonis 1969) provided data for the general programmatic environmental statements for the Central Arizona Project (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 1972). Subsequently more feature specific environmental statements were prepared for various parts of GRATS (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 1973, 1974, 1975) incorporating more detailed archaeological studies (Bair 1974; Bondley and Brooks 1973; Grady 1973; Kemrer, Schultz and Dodge 1972; Renk 1972). As a direct result of the feasibility alignment surveys, further archaeological investigations were carried out as part of mitigation proceedings for three Granite Reef construction features at the time construction was initiated (Larson and others 1976; Reynolds 1974;Rodgers 1977).