The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336-mile (541 km) bypass channel in Arizona, in the southern United States. It is a system of aqueducts, tunnels, pumping plants and pipes that bring water from the Colorado River from the Bill Williams River branch of Lake Havasu to the project service area. This system supplies water to nearly 6 million people, more than 80% of the state's population, in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties. It transports water from Lake Havasu, near Parker, to the southern border of the San Xavier Indian Reservation, southwest of Tucson.
The CAP was a dream shared by Arizonans since the beginning of the 20th century. U. S. settlers entered the region in greater numbers after the territory of New Mexico, which included most of present-day Arizona, became part of the United States in 1848. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation providing federal loans and technical expertise for recovery projects in the western United States.
In 1944, Arizona signed a river pact and in 1964 the Supreme Court issued a decree that Arizona and other “lower basin states” have the right to appropriate and use tax flows before the tributary mixes with the Colorado River. In 1971, Arizona established the Central Arizona Water Conservation District to manage infrastructure (and oversee reimbursement to the federal government), and in 1973 construction finally began. The project was conceived to provide water to nearly one million acres (405,000 hectares) of irrigated farmland areas in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties, as well as municipal water for several communities in Arizona, including the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. The CAP acts as a collaborative partner and innovative leader in the sustainable management and reliable supply of water for central Arizona.
It has helped the state nearly double its population in the approximately 30 years since its completion in 1993. The CAP is an impressive feat of engineering that has been providing water to millions of Arizonans since its completion in 1993. The aqueduct diverts water from the Colorado River at the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge, located in the southern part of Lake Havasu near Parker, to central and southern Arizona. This system is made up of 336 miles (541 km) of aqueducts, tunnels, pumping plants and pipes that transport water from Lake Havasu to areas such as Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties as well as several communities including Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas. The CAP was a dream shared by Arizonans since early 20th century when U. S settlers started entering this region after New Mexico became part of United States in 1848. President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation providing federal loans and technical expertise for recovery projects in western United States in 1902. In 1944, Arizona signed a river pact and Supreme Court issued a decree that lower basin states have right to appropriate and use tax flows before tributary mixes with Colorado River in 1964. In 1971, Arizona established Central Arizona Water Conservation District to manage infrastructure (and oversee reimbursement to federal government) and construction began in 1973. The project was designed to provide water to nearly one million acres (405,000 hectares) of irrigated farmland areas as well as municipal water for several communities in Arizona.
CAP has been acting as a collaborative partner and innovative leader in sustainable management and reliable supply of water for central Arizona since its completion. It has helped state nearly double its population since then due to its efficient management of resources. The CAP is an important source of water for many Arizonans who rely on it for their daily needs such as drinking water or irrigation for their farms. It is also an important source of recreation for many people who enjoy activities such as fishing or boating on Lake Havasu or other bodies of water connected to it through CAP's aqueducts.
The CAP has been an integral part of life for many Arizonans since its completion over 25 years ago.
