WSP02047

• File Number: 8221.112.A
• Description: Central Arizona Project
• State: AZ
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Date: 1/1/1991
• Title: Special Delivery to Tucson--A History and Overview of the CAP
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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Bringing The CAP
To Arizona

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Since man first settled here, the water
of Arizona has been more precious
than the silver in the mountains. In Thc.
son near the Santa Cruz and Rillito Rivers,
archaeologists have unearthed traces of
ancient irrigation canals. These water
delivery systems were built by the myste,
rious Hohokam Indians to carry water
from the rivers to their fields of corn,
beans, and squash. The early inhabitants
of the Salt River and Santa Cruz Valleys
relied entirely on this surface water, as
would those who followed them.
Over the centuries, the population of
Arizona steadily grew. In addition to the
personal water needs of the inhabitants,
the State's major industries, cattle, copper,
and cotton, all needed their share of
water. As demand rose, Arizonans turned
to the state's abundant groundwater
resources, but soon other sources were
needed.
In the early part of this century the
first modern surface water irrigation in
Arizona was made possible by the con-
struction of Roosevelt Dam on the Salt
River. Arizona was still a territory, but
already it was becoming clear that our
groundwater, even when combined with
locally available surface water resources,
would not be adequate to meet the needs
of the thousands of people who were
migrating to the desert cities of Phoenix
and Thcson.
As early as the 1920s some visionary
Arizonan proposed a canal from the Colo,
rado River to central Arizona, but it wasn't

Water and sun. The two most important aspects of desert living are symbolized in 900.year-old
Hohokam petroglyphs on Signol Hill, Saguaro National Monument.

until 1932 that the States Colorado River
Commission really investigated the possi-
bility of bringing water from the Glen
Canyon area on the Utah border to the
Verde River north of Phoenix. The Com-
mission agreed that it was a perfect solu.
tion to water needs and was physically
possible, but the hard economic times of
the Great Depression meant that the plan
was filed away for another eight years.
The United States Bureau of Reclama,

Hohokom Indians
reroute surfoce water
to their fields with 0
system of irrigafion
canals.

(,1150 AO

losindigenos
Hohokam desviaron
aguo de superficie II
sus campos 0 trov's
un sistema de canales
deirrigaci6n.

tion dusted off the plan and began study-
ing it in 1940, and in 1947 recommended
an aqueduct from Lake Havasu to the
Onne Reservoir. Arizonans eagerly went
to work to obtain funding for the plan,
but met with little success.
1\venty years later, with federal fund,
ing seemingIy still as nebulous as a desert
mirage, the Arizona state government
declared that it would be "unwise to con.
tinue to rely solely upon federal action"
(continued on page 4)