REFERENCE TITLE: Bartlett Dam; height increase

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-sixth Legislature

First Regular Session

2023

HCR 2024

Introduced by

Representative Griffin

A Concurrent Resolution

supporting a feasibility study to increase the height of bartlett dam.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Whereas, in 1916, Congress enacted legislation that directed the Secretary of the Interior to provide water, under the 1902 Reclamation Act, to 631 ten-acre allotments on the Salt River Indian Reservation; and

Whereas, with a lack of developed water infrastructure there would not be sufficient supply for all irrigable land in the Phoenix valley; and

Whereas, to satisfy the directive, the Secretary of the Interior agreed to construct Bartlett Dam on the Verde River; and

Whereas, in 1936, the Bureau of Reclamation began constructing the multiple arch dam, with the costs being funded 80% by the Salt River Project and 20% by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on behalf of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian community; and

Whereas, Bartlett Dam was completed in 1939, coming in under budget by approximately $270,000. It provided the government with 60,000 acre-feet of reservoir water storage, with the right to take a maximum of 20,000 acre-feet annually for use on the community's land; and

Whereas, Bartlett Dam is named after Bill Bartlett, a government surveyor who is credited with discovering the dam site, which is located approximately 48 miles northeast of Phoenix; and

Whereas, between 1994 and 1996, several modifications were made to the dam to address safety concerns, including raising its height by 21.5 feet to prevent overtopping; and

Whereas, a new, unlined auxiliary spillway was built 1,500 feet south of the dam's left abutment, along with a concrete control structure and three-segment fuse plug embankment. These alterations allow for a quick release of water; and

Whereas, Bartlett Dam currently stands at 308.5 feet tall and 823 feet long and has a reservoir with a storage capacity of 178,000 acre-feet, making it the second largest capacity dam in the Phoenix area; and

Whereas, Bartlett Dam provides for flood control and irrigation water for Salt River Valley residents and the Salt River Indian Reservation; and

Whereas, Horseshoe Dam is an earthfill dam that is located north of Bartlett Dam and was built between 1944 and 1946; and

Whereas, a 2012 Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey estimated that over 45,000 acre-feet of water storage capacity has been lost to sediment accumulation in Horseshoe Reservoir, reducing the storage capacity to 98,000 acre-feet; and

Whereas, raising the current height of Bartlett Dam between 62 and 97 feet would allow for an increase storage yield of between 60,000 and 115,000 acre-feet. That is enough to serve an additional 180,000 to 345,000 households, greatly reducing reliance on nonrenewable water supplies, such as groundwater; and

Whereas, Horseshoe Reservoir would benefit from the Bartlett Dam height increase by further helping to manage flooding and sediment inflow, creating a protective barrier for endangered fish and providing more natural habitat for wildlife; and

Whereas, raising the dam height would also increase the total water storage capacity on the Verde River, further improving access to renewable surface water supplies.

Therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring:

1. That the Members of the Legislature recognize the importance of raising the height of Bartlett Dam and preventing sediment buildup in the Horseshoe Reservoir.

2. That the Members of the Legislature support the United States Congress providing funding to conduct a feasibility study for increasing the height of Bartlett Dam.