A Historical Study of the SRP Distribution System

Author(s): Shelly Dudley

Year: 2011

Summary

The Salt River Valley consists of nearly half-million acres in central Arizona. It is a semiarid area with alluvial soils suitable for agriculture, but low rainfall makes irrigation a necessity for cultivation. Early settlers knew that a system of canals and laterals was necessary for agricultural production. For sustained growth, the farmers needed a water storage facility. With the passage of the National Reclamation Act in 1902, the federal government authorized the Salt River Project (SRP). As work progressed on the construction of Theodore Roosevelt Dam, the U.S. Reclamation Service acquired a system canals and laterals for SRP.

While this report focuses on the SRP water delivery system, much of the information is also generic to the irrigation systems throughout Arizona. This context history of the Salt River Project water distribution system is arranged in four parts. The first section details the history of the irrigation system of the Salt River Valley with emphasis on the distribution system. The second piece looks at the various structures and associated works that make up the distribution system. The third section examines the impact of the urban landscape on the water distribution system. The last section contains two case studies examining two laterals and their history.

Cite this Record

A Historical Study of the SRP Distribution System. Shelly Dudley. 2011 ( tDAR id: 475287) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8475287

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Culture
Historic • Hohokam

Site Type
Canal or Canal Feature

General
Arizona Canal • Consolidated Canal • Construction Equipment • Cross Cut Canal • Ditches • Drains • Eastern Canal • Grand Canal • Highland Canal • Historic Canal • Irrigation Methods • Lateral System • Maintenace and Construction • Maricopa Canal • Modern Day Canal • Old Cross Cut Canal • Prehistoric Canal • Rehabilitation and Betterment • Salt River Valley Canal • Salt River Valley Irrigation • South Canal • Tempe Canal • Weirs, Checks and Measurements • Western Canal • Zanjero

Geographic Keywords
Maricopa (County) • Salt River Valley

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Daniel Garcia

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
Dudley-2011-A-Historical-Study-of-the-SRP-Distribution-System.pdf 2.16mb Apr 14, 2023 3:29:29 PM Confidential

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Contact(s): Daniel Garcia