SRP History

Runs Deep In Arizona

Since 1903, Salt River Project has helped shape our state. We take pride in our history of service to the people who call Arizona home.

Created By And For The Communities We Serve

It all began with a group of local ranchers and farmers who shared a common goal – to ensure the Valley would flourish. They formed the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association in 1903. Together, they offered up their land as collateral for federal funds to build Roosevelt Dam. Why would they put so much on the line? The founders understood that a regular flow of water – ending a vicious cycle of drought and flood – was the key to long-term growth and prosperity in the Valley. Both Arizona and SRP grew together – Arizona into a state of several million residents and SRP into an organization that today supplies around 850,000 acre-feet of water every year and delivers power to more than 1 million customers.

Experience The
History Of SRP In Person

Care to step into Arizona's past and see what’s in store for the future? At the SRP Heritage Center, you can! SRP’s history museum features informational panels, artifacts, photos, interactive exhibits and virtual reality stations dedicated to our history and our plans for the future.

Highlights include:

  • Artwork in SRP’s Canyon Gallery, just outside of the Heritage Center, that includes sculptures, ceramics and photography by Arizona artists.

  • A changing gallery space that features exhibits and artwork focused on the history of SRP and Arizona.

  • A virtual reality station where you can visit Roosevelt Dam or rappel from a helicopter onto a 500-kilovolt line.

Influence Across the Nation

In 1917 the federal government transferred operation of the first project completed under the National Reclamation Act, the Salt River Project (SRP), to a group of local water users in Arizona, the Salt River Valley Water Users Association (Association). The transfer marked an important milestone in the early days of the nation’s efforts to develop water infrastructure in the West. It also carried with it an understanding that would become a hallmark of future projects: that the success of reclamation projects required not only federal investment, but also a strong base of local support. As the first project operated by a local entity, SRP became the model of what reclamation could accomplish in developing Western lands. The fact that SRP’s 1917 contract with the federal government is still in effect today testifies to the endurance of an approach that continues to be the foundation for managing water and power in the Valley.

DISCLAIMER

PAID FOR BY SRP WATER AND RATEPAYER PROTECTION PAC WITH 17% OUT OF STATE CONTRIBUTORS. TOP THREE DONORS: MICHAEL FRANCIS ROSES LLP, DAVID HOVEY, EARL PEZNICK. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATES COMMITTEE.

SWRP is not owned, endorsed, sponsored by, or affiliated in any way with the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District or the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association.