Water Use and Resources in Arizona – Part 1 Role Playing Project

Water Use and Resources Water Use and Resources in Arizona – Part 1in Arizona – Part 1

Role Playing ProjectRole Playing Project

Water Project Game Water Project Game Plan: Part 1Plan: Part 1

• What is the Hydrologic Cycle?• Where does our water come

from?• Which governmental agencies

bring us our water• How much to we overdraft our

water resources

Hydrologic CycleHydrologic Cycle

Hydrologic Cycle – GroundwaterHydrologic Cycle – Groundwater

Hydrologic Cycle - AZHydrologic Cycle - AZ

Major Water Sheds – Mogollon Highlands, Colorado Rockies, Wind River Mountains, and Utah HighlandsMajor Rivers – Colorado River, Salt River, and Verde River

Hydrologic Cycle - AZHydrologic Cycle - AZ

Mogollon Rim Rocky Mountains

WindRiverMountains

Boulder Mountain

Central Arizona ProjectCentral Arizona Project• Transports water from the

Colorado River (Lake Havasu) to Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Counties (Phoenix and Tucson)

• Supplies up to 2.8 million acre-feet of water deemed Arizona’s share from the Colorado River Compact[1 acre-foot equates to the amount of water needed for a family of five annually]

• Lifts the water 2,900 vertical feet along the way through 14 pumping stations

• Run by 15 member elected board• 22,500 gallons of water per

second

Central Arizona ProjectCentral Arizona Project




Central Arizona Central Arizona ProjectProject

Salt River Salt River ProjectProject

• Supplies water to Phoenix through canal locations used over 2,000 years ago by the Hohokam people, largest in the world without surveying equipment

• Two sides: 1) electricity operated by the state 2) a corporation that delivers over 1 million acre feet of water

• SRP forged by early Phoenicians who pledged their homes and farms as collateral for a federal loan to construct Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River between 1906 – 1911

• Later placed more dams along the Salt (3) and along the Verde River (3)

• Water from 13,000 square mile watershed (Mogollon Rim) and from 250 pumping stations of groundwater

• In normal years groundwater contributes roughly 25% of SRP’s water, dry years as much as 65%. Wells used to be drilled 500 feet deep, now 1,200 feet.

• Annual deficit of ~82 billion gallons WHY BUILD DAMS???WHY BUILD DAMS???

Salt River ProjectSalt River Project

Roosevelt Roosevelt Dam on Dam on the Salt the Salt River!River!


Roosevelt Dam Construction on the Salt River!Roosevelt Dam Construction on the Salt River!

Salt River Salt River ProjectProject

Horse Mesa Horse Mesa Dam on the Dam on the Salt River!Salt River!


Bartlett Dam on the Verde River for Irrigation Diversion!Bartlett Dam on the Verde River for Irrigation Diversion!


Stewart Mountain Dam on the Salt River for Stewart Mountain Dam on the Salt River for Irrigation Diversion!Irrigation Diversion!


Drilling of an SRP Drilling of an SRP well (250) that well (250) that

utilizes groundwater utilizes groundwater to augment surface to augment surface

flow water!flow water!

Total water brought to Phoenix, AZ• Called the “Phoenix Active Management Area” –

controlled by the Arizona Department of Water Resources

• Goal to achieve sustainable water resources by 2025• 5,646 square miles in area• Uses 2.3 million acre feet annually• 1.4 million acre-feet from renewable sources• 900,000 acre-feet from groundwater

• Overdraft of renewable sources of 251,000 acre-feet (even though some excess CAP water in the winter is recharged back into the ground through infiltration fields [termed water banking] and through natural processes)

Water Banking Authority

Water Project Lab 1Water Project Lab 1

• This is a homework assignment

• Go to the following link: http://watersim.asu.edu

• Utilize the Water Sim model for the city of Phoenix to complete the lab and return to class in ONE week

http://watersim.asu.edu/

http://watersim.asu.edu/

Things to Know:Things to Know:• Basics of the Hydrologic Cycle• What are the major watershedsmajor watersheds that

supply water to PhoenixPhoenix?• Groundwater and surface flow from

Colorado, Slat and Verde Rivers supply water to Phoenix

• What are the two Agencies that supply water to Phoenix?

Documents

Water Use and Resources in Arizona – Part 1 Role Playing Project