The Central Arizona Project (CAP) delivers Colorado River water to about 80% of Arizona’s population through a canal system that stretches more than 300 miles. It begins at the Colorado River near Lake Havasu and ends south of Tucson.
Now, state leaders are working to expand Arizona’s water supply flexibility by connecting CAP, which delivers Colorado River water across the state, with the Salt River Project (SRP), which supplies water from the Salt and Verde rivers to the Phoenix metropolitan area.
The new SRP–CAP Interconnection Facility (SCIF) will allow water to flow both ways between the two systems.
How will connecting SRP and CAP strengthen Arizona’s water supply?
Right now, CAP can send water to SRP through an existing connection, but SRP cannot send water back. The CSIF uses gravity to move water from CAP’s higher canal system into SRP’s lower one.
The SCIF pump and pipe system near the Granite Reef Dam would be a game-changer, allowing two-way water transfers between SRP and CAP.
