From growing crops to growing cities: SRP’s transition from ag to urban

Abstract

This paper will visually show, through the use of historic and contemporary photographs, that the National Reclamation Act is a cornerstone of growth in the West. The irrigation works constructed under the federal reclamation program provided a stable water supply for crops, transforming the desert to the farmlands, and continued with the development of cities, businesses, and communities. Hydropower, a by-product of water development, initially operated irrigation pumps and lighted homes, and now powers industries. Salt River Project (SRP), as one of the first multi-purpose reclamation projects authorized by the federal government, provided irrigation water to the settlers of the Salt River Valley at the beginning of the twentieth century. Over 100 years later, SRP continues that tradition and is still delivering water to its shareholders and customers, but now in an urban setting.