Water resources planning and management at the Salt River Project, Arizona, USA: Fid-Bau Portal

Water resources planning and management at the Salt River Project, Arizona, USA

Phillips, Daniel H. / Reinink, Yvonne / Skarupa, Timothy E. / Ester, Charles. E. / Skindlov, Jon A.

Abstract The Salt River Project (SRP) was created in the early 1900s to assure an adequate water supply for its shareholders in the Salt River Valley, Arizona, USA. The straight forward job of storing inflows and meeting demand from a single reservoir system soon became more complex. As the population of the Salt River Valley swelled, additional reservoirs were added to the system, alternative supplies of water were developed, and hydro-power generation became a financial consideration in reservoir operations. Nevertheless, the primary operational objective continues to be the conjunctive management of multiple sources of water to ensure an adequate carry-over supply of water for SRP’s shareholders in the Salt River Valley. This objective has traditionally been accomplished by managing the reservoir system as if each time the reservoirs fill to capacity is the beginning of an extended drought comparable to the worst historical drought in recorded history. Over the past 20 years, several subtle yet significant events have taken place which raise concerns regarding SRP’s traditional method of water planning and management. Changes in demand patterns as land is converted from mainly agricultural use to urban use, an ongoing drought rivaling the historical drought of record, tree-ring studies suggesting even more severe droughts having occurred in pre-historic times and, the specter of a changing climate due to global warming all suggest that a business as usual approach to water management and planning may no longer be appropriate.