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About 100 miles outside of metro Phoenix, a 110-year-old concrete goliath stands at 357 feet tall and holds back over 1.6 million acre-feet of water at Roosevelt Lake. This awe-inspiring water system infrastructure is known as Theodore Roosevelt Dam, and it has an impressive history.
More than a beautiful site, Roosevelt Dam serves an especially important purpose in the Valley’s water storage and delivery capabilities. It helped early settlers tame the wild and unpredictable waters of the Salt River and allowed a prosperous community to flourish.
Today it remains the cornerstone of a water delivery system that is responsible for delivering over half of the Valley’s yearly water supply. Serving as a guardian to the desert’s most precious resource, the dam helps us maintain a reliable water supply and face climate change and drought with certainty.
The rich history of Roosevelt Dam
Long before SRP began serving the area, the Valley’s early indigenous residents, the Hohokam, built an expansive irrigation system. This gravity-based system would be utilized and maintained for more than a thousand years. The ingenuity of these native Arizonans laid the groundwork for modern Phoenix and the system that SRP operates today.
Thereafter, settlers arriving in the Valley in the late 1800s sought to build a reliable water supply to support life and agriculture in this arid environment. Many of these folks uncovered the remnants of this ancient canal system and built modern canals in those same pathways.
In 1889, a survey team funded by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors explored the Salt and Verde rivers for potential reservoir sites. They noted that the most promising site was at the confluence of the Salt River and Tonto Creek, which is the current site of Roosevelt Dam. For the next several years, private enterprises unsuccessfully attempted to fund a dam at the site.
In 1902, an opportunity in the form of the National Reclamation Act came along that changed everything.
Theodore Roosevelt Dam timeline and milestones
Historical reliability for future generations
Since 1903, SRP has delivered water to a growing population. Well into its second century of existence, one thing remains the same – Roosevelt Dam is vital to life thriving in the Valley. Want to learn more about the past, present and future of delivering a resilient water supply to the Valley? We share all of that and more in a stunning video miniseries.
Spent many hours on Lake Roosevelt water skiing–great memories.
My husband and I were part of the 50 year rededication of Roosevelt Dam. We drove our 1910 Model T Ford over the Apache Trail, transporting the President of SRP. I still remember that day with great fondness!