The federal government is accepting public comments on a plan to increase the size of Bartlett Dam and Bartlett Lake on the Verde River, an effort to bring new water supplies to metro Phoenix as accumulating sediment shrinks the existing reservoirs.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has begun a formal evaluation of the new dam project as required under the National Environmental Policy Act. As part of the evaluation, the Bureau will seek public input at five events:
- July 28: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Virtual
- July 29: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Fountain Hills Community Center, Fountain Hills, Arizona.
- July 30: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Escalante Multi-Generational Center, Tempe, Arizona.
- July 31: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Carefree Hampton Inn, Carefree, Arizona.
- August 1: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., Virtual
At least 23 cities, tribes, and agricultural entities in the Phoenix area have contributed to studying the dam expansion. Stakeholders see the project as a way to recover lost storage capacity on the Verde River while creating new water supplies to compensate central Arizona for shortages on the Colorado River.
Sediment reduces water storage
Backed-up sediments accumulating behind the Bartlett and Horseshoe dams have eaten away 15% of the overall reservoir storage capacity on the Verde River according to a 2021 study conducted by the Bureau. That amounts to about 50,000 acre feet, equal to the annual use of more than 100,000 households. While sedimentation is an issue at both reservoirs, planners are only considering a new dam at Bartlett.
If sedimentation continues at its current rate, officials say, the buildup would reach the top of the dam in a little over 100 years, essentially turning the lake into a waterfall…