Theodore Roosevelt Lake

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Theodore Roosevelt Lake

Location	Arizona, USA
Coordinates	33°40′18 N°111′0959 (Roosevelt Dam)
Lake type	reservoir
Primary sources	Salt River, Tonto Creek
Catchment area	5,830 mi² (15,099 km²)
Max length	22.4 miles (35.84 km)
Max width	2 miles (3.2 km)
Surface area	21,493 acres (87 km²)
Max depth	249 feet (74.7 m)
Water volume	1,653,043 acre-feet at full capacity
Shore length¹	128 miles (204.8 meters)
Surface elevation	2094 feet (628 meters)
¹ Shore length is an imprecise measure which may not be standardized for this article.

Theodore Roosevelt Lake (also known as simply Roosevelt Lake or Lake Roosevelt) is a large artificial reservoir formed by the damming of the Salt River in Arizona as part of the Salt River Project (SRP). Located roughly 80 miles (128 km) northeast of Phoenix in the Salt River Valley, Theodore Roosevelt is the largest lake or reservoir located entirely within the state of Arizona (Lake Mead and Lake Powell are larger but both are located partially within the neighboring states of Nevada and Utah respectively). Both the reservoir and the masonry dam that created it, Roosevelt Dam, were named for U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who dedicated the dam himself in March 1911. Theodore Roosevelt Lake is a popular recreation destination within the Tonto National Forest.

Satellite image of Theodore Roosevelt Lake and surrounding geographic features

Theodore Roosevelt Lake is the oldest of the six reservoirs constructed and operated by the Salt River Project. It also has the largest storage capacity of the SRP lakes with the ability to store 1,653,043 acre feet (2.03900 km³) of water at full capacity.

1 Geography
2 Recreation
3 Roosevelt Dam
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Theodore Roosevelt Lake is located in central Arizona almost entirely within Gila County although a small portion lies in Maricopa County. Located about 4 miles (6.4 km) upstream from Apache Lake (the next SRP reservoir on the Salt River), Roosevelt Lake occupies about 10 miles (16 km) of the original Salt River riverbed and also extends for about 8 miles (12.8 km) up Tonto Creek, a significant tributary of the Salt with its headwaters along the Mogollon Rim. The lake covers much of the southern portion of the Tonto Basin, a low lying area between the Sierra Ancha Mountains, Mazatzal Mountains, and the Superstition Mountains. Arizona State Route 188 travels along the shore of the lake for much of its length. Tonto National Monument is located 4 miles (6.4 km) from Roosevelt Dam, parts of the monument provide views of much of the reservoir.

[edit] Recreation

Fishing is a common recreational activity at Roosevelt Lake. The lake is home to a variety of game fish including crappie, flathead and channel catfish, and largemouth bass.

There are several Arizona Trail trailheads in the vicinity. The 800 mile (1280 km) long hiking trail extending from the Arizona-Mexico border to Utah crosses the Salt River on the Arizona State Route 188 bridge that crosses Theodore Roosevelt Lake just northeast of Roosevelt Dam.

[edit] Roosevelt Dam

Construction on Roosevelt Dam began in 1903 at the confluence of Tonto Creek and the Salt River. The primary purpose of the project was to provide water storage for the Salt River Project and flood control through the Salt River Valley. The dam was finished in 1911 after several devastating floods had interrupted the construction progress in 1905. At the time of completion in 1911, it was the largest masonry dam in the world with a height of 280 feet (84 meters) and a length of 723 feet (216 meters) while Roosevelt Lake was for a time the world's largest artificial reservoir. The dam was originally known as "Salt River Dam #1", it was not until 1959 that the dam and reservoir were officially named after Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt Dam in 1996 after renovations were completed

In 1989, an ambitious expansion and renovation project was begun at Roosevelt Dam. The dam was resurfaced with concrete and its height was raised 77 feet (23 meters) to 357 feet (107 meters) which had the effect of increasing the storage capacity of Roosevelt Lake by roughly 20%. This project was completed in 1996 at a cost of $430 million. Shortly after completion, however, the area entered into a prolonged period of drought, and it would be some time before the newly increased capacity was put to use, with the lake finally reaching historic levels of 90% capacity in early 2005.