Salt River (Arizona)
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The Salt River (O'odham [Pima]: Onk Akimel) is a tributary of the Gila River, approximately 322 km (200 mi) long, in central Arizona in the United States.
[edit] Description
The river is formed in eastern Arizona in eastern Gila County, by the confluence of the White and Black rivers, in the valley between the Mogollon Rim and the Natanes Plateau. With the Black, it forms the boundary between the Fort Apache Indian Reservation to the north and the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation to the south. It flows northwest through Salt River Canyon, then southwest and west through the Tonto National Forest. It passes through the valley between the Mazatzal Mountains and Superstition Mountains and supplies several consecutive reservoirs: Lake Roosevelt (formed by Roosevelt Dam), Apache Lake (Horse Mesa Dam), Canyon Lake (Mormon Flat Dam), and Saguaro Lake (Stewart Mountain Dam). Near Fountain Hills it is joined by the Verde River. About five miles downstream of this point, the Granite Reef Diversion Dam diverts all remaining water into the Arizona and South canals, which deliver drinking and irrigation water to much of the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Below Granite Reef Dam, the riverbed leaves the mountains and runs past the cities of Mesa, Tempe, and Scottsdale, then south of downtown Phoenix, where it passes north of South Mountain Park. With the exception of Tempe Town Lake, the riverbed winding through the cities is dry, except when heavy rains upstream force larger than normal releases from Stewart Mountain Dam. However, dangerous flash floods occasionally occur in the dry riverbed, especially during monsoon storms in late July and early August. Water washes out roads that cross the river in drier times of the year, and bridges have been damaged, most notably in 1980, 1993 and 2005. The natural flow of the Salt is 86.1 m³/s (3040 ft³/s) at its mouth, almost four times that of the Rio Grande River. However, except during floods, the Salt is dry below Granite Reef Dam. The river was formerly navigable throughout its course by small craft. The river is still navigable in the majority of the area where it still carries a significant flow.
The Salt River joins the Gila on the southwestern edge of Phoenix approximately 24 km (15 mi) from the center of the city.
The river was used for irrigation by aboriginal Americans and by early European settlers in the 19th century. It currently provides a major source of irrigation and drinking water for Phoenix and surrounding communities through the Salt River Project. The river's water is distributed over more than 1,000 mi (1,609 km) of irrigation canals, used primarily for the growing of cotton, alfalfa, fruit, and vegetables.
