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1459 BCE
200-1459AD
There are archaeologic finds showing there was irrigation for agriculture in the Salt River Valley around 300 BC. Starting about 200 AD, the Hohokam lived and farmed along the Santa Cruz and Rilito Rivers. They built canals from the rivers and had a hydraulic infrastructure that went across the Salt River Valley; about 150 miles of irrigation. Their exchange of ceramic goods and other things among the different villages along the Salt River was done through the canals. -
Late 1600's
When Spanish started to settle in central Arizona, the Pima and Maricopa Indians were using the Hohokam irrigation canals to irrigate crops. Spanish settlements sprang up near rivers and streams and they built acequias, like canals.They needed water distribution for their missions, presidios and crops and animals. There was not enough water for them and the Native Americans, so there was tension. The new water dependent crops became part of the area into the future. -
Region became a territory of the United States
Farming, ranching and mining became a part of the economy. All of these needed Water! By 1890, the water for agricultural was more than the Salt River and Gila River could meet so something had to be done. -
Development of the Colorado River (beginning in early 1900s)
Colorado River Compact divided the waters of the Colorado River proportionately among, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona. Arizona ratified the Colorado River Compact in 1944 and was OK with the 2.8 million acre feet of water for Arizona. -
Newlands Act
It is also known as the US Reclamation Act. This act authorized the federal government to provide funds for irrigation projects in the arid Western America. Five and a half years after the bill was signed into law, five projects were approved. This act established the Secretary of Interior. The Salt River Valley Water Users Association was created. -
Roosevelt Dam completed
The Roosevelt Dam was created by damming up water from the Salt River. Water could be delivered to Central Arizona and development could happen. Water was being diverted by canals and not much was left for the Native Americans. This started a long history of water rights issues for the Native Americans. No federal water projects were constructed in the south end of central Arizona, so they relied on ground water. The Santa Cruz River disappeared and the ground water dropped. -
The Central Arizona Project Association was formed
Nonprofit group to educate the people of Arizona and other places about the need for the Central Arizona Project. A year later, Senator McFarland introduced S.1175 to authorize the Central Arizona Project (CAP). -
Arizona V. California
The Court ruled that Arizona’s 2.8 million acre feet of water did not include the flow from the Gila River and that California’s legal right was limited to 4.4 million acre feet of water. This case took 7 years to resolve. The dispute was whether the Gila River flow was included in the 2.8 million acre feet for Arizona and California claimed they should get over 5 million acre feet of water. -
President Johnson signed Public Law 90-537 , the Colorado River Basin project
The CAP was authorized as part of this act. This act provided for development of the water of the Colorado River Basin. This program allowed for regulating flow of the Colorado River, controlling floods, improving navigation, providing for storage and delivery of waters of the Colorado River. Arizona Senators McFarland, Hayden, Fannin, Goldwater, and Congressmen, John Rhodes and Interior Secretary Udall worked tirelessly to get this passed. -
Central Arizona Water Conservation District was formed
This is a 15 member board from Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties, who we vote for in Arizona. It has the power to negotiate contracts, repay costs, operate and maintain CAP and contract with users of the water and collect the money. It determines the price of water. This is a very important board. -
Construction begins on CAP
National Environment Policy Act of 1969, required archaeological and social and cultural investigations. During construction of the CAP, environmental impact studies were done and vegetation was relocated. Fences were built to keep animals from drowning, fences were made so small animals wouldn’t get trapped and wildlife crossings were made. The CAP was meant to provide water for about 11.2 million people. -
Arizona Groundwater Management Act
In terms of an organized strategy to manage water, the groundwater management act required that any and all new developments had an assured water supply that was able to properly and adequately supply it’s residents for a minimum of 100 years. The act also required that any and all active-management areas were to wean themselves off of pumping groundwater. -
Reclamation Reform Act
Expanded ownership limits that had previously been applied to the amount of land that an individual could receive low-cost Reclamation project water for. It also applied those same limits through the west. -
First water deliveries from the Central Arizona Project reached Harquahala Valley
Construction for the CAP began in 1973 however it wasn't until 1985 that the first delivery of water was given to the Harquahala Valley Irrigation District. In 1993 The CAP water supply system was 336 miles long and considered to be complete. -
The lakes Bill
This bill limited the use of drinking water coming from man-made lakes which were constructed in the state’s active management areas. The bill required all new lakes constructed after the first of January 1, 1987 that were larger than an Olympic-sized pool to be filled with poor-quality water (ie. Storm-water/water withdrawn to resolve water logging/ contamination) -
CAP Construction Completed
The CAP runs from Lake Havasu to about 20 miles south of Tucson, for a cost of 4 billion dollars at that time (about 40 billion today). It is 336 miles long and lifts water more than 2,900 feet uphill through mountains and underground with pumping stations and a hydroelectric plant, storage reservoir and gate structures to control the flow of water. It provides water for Municipal and Industrial use, Agricultural use, and water to the Native American Tribes. -
The Arizona Banking Authority
The Arizona Banking Authority was established to aid in facilitating storage for Arizona's portion of unused water from the Colorado River and to provide an opportunity to surrounding states to also store/ lend their own unused water. This would aim to assist in facilitating in the settlement of Indian water rights claims (ie. delivering and storing water). -
The Gila River Indian Community water settlement
The settlement allows the community a diversion of an average of 653,500 acre feet per-year for use on the reservation, this includes CAP water and the rights to lease certain water. The agreement includes protection for the community from off-reservation groundwater pumping, storage and recovery. -
Effects of Corona virus
An example of water related effects of the Corona virus: Navajo face corona virus without access to running water, cases skyrocket because despite being under stay at home orders they need to leave their homes daily to pump water.
