Out in the desert north of Phoenix Valley lies a critical piece of Arizona’s water lifeline: the Agua Fria River Siphon.
It’s just one link in the 336-mile Central Arizona Project canal system that delivers over 500 billion gallons of Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson. When that canal crosses a river like the Agua Fria, engineers employ massive siphons to pump water underneath.
“Through the aqueduct, through some more pipelines, and into the Phoenix Metropolitan area,” Jim Geisbush, Central Arizona Project engineer and P.H.D, said. “During the visit this past week, the siphon was bone dry thanks to blockers, which were lowered into the canal, allowing crews to work safely.”
“There are five steel walls sitting on top of each other, stopping the water from flowing any further than this,” Geisbush said. “When people turn on that tap, for 80% of the population of Arizona, the water has come through this canal and pipeline.”…