The Fright of It  ( happy halloween)

30% of the water used in the average American household  is for "outdoor" water use. 

Nation wide,  landscape irrigation is estimated to account for  1/3 of all residential water use, totaling upwards of  9 billion gallons of water a day.

In  the dry southwest climate, it is estimated that up to 60% of residential water consumption is for outdoor uses.

My Your Our Water

Happy Belated Birthday

Birthday water wishes to the 26th president of the United States Theodore Roosevelt born October 27, 1858. Teddy Roosevelt ascended to the presidency September 14, 1901 after the assassination of President McKinley. It was in 1902 that he sign the Reclamation Act allowing for the building of the Roosevelt Dam along the Salt River.

Thanks for the water Teddy !

My Your Our Water

From Lake Michigan to the Desert

Last Saturday was the first Scottsdale Farmer's Market of the season and of course the Trike made an appearance.  I had the opportunity to talk with many marketeers about water, weather and "what-have-you". 

This is Anil, aptly wearing his "support local" t-shirt and charming Sheree. They are fresh transplants from Chicago. They interrupted their fresh tamale and fruit cup breakfast to engage in a conversation about My Your Our Water. Coming from a lakefront landscape with knee deep snow drifts to a 90 degree October can be a Halloween treat but the lack of obvious water can be a little "spooky". Their fears were eased upon hearing about the series of reservoirs, dams and canal systems that make a bountiful life truly possible in this arid region.

Welcome to the desert, it was delightful meeting you both!

MyYour Our Water

Tempe Town Lake

Let's talk about a lake closer to home that starts with the letter T.  

Tempe Town Lake is often the center of curious conversation. Where did it come from? It's a reservoir that fills a small portion of dry river bed of the Salt River. The primary inflow of water comes from the Colorado River as part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) and not the Salt River. However, the lake dams are operated by Salt River Project under a contract with the City of Tempe.

My Your Our Water

Make A Splash

I couldn't resist this second image submitted by Tracy E. from Lake Tahoe in California.

If you'd like to share your water experience, email your images to MyYourOurWater@gmail.com

My Your Our Water

Great Day to Trike 

Even though the mercury was above 90, it was a beautiful morning to trike the Arizona Canal, one of the multi-use trails along the 131 miles of SRP canal. While based on the original Hohokam canal system, the current active nine canals were created over the course of the last century. As a result, each has a unique story of development and a unique service area.

The Arizona Canal was started in 1883 by the Arizona Canal Company.

In 1903 the formation of the Salt River Valley Water User's Association prompted the Secretary of the Interior to purchase the canal. In 1906 the purchase was signed and in 1907 the government assumed operation of the canal.

My Your Our Water

Bottled Value

Yes, this is a photo of a littered half full bottle of water. Oddly, for many Americans, bottled water holds more value than clean tap water. Over the past two decades, the consumption of bottled water has more than tripled in the United States. The cost of a single bottle of water, depending on the brand, is 250-10,000 times more expensive than tap. Interestingly, anywhere from 25-40 percent of bottled water in the U.S. comes from municipal sources: aka tap water.

My Your Our Water

Gallons and Gallons  (A gallon of water weighs approximately 8.34 lbs.)

We use water everyday and it is difficult to visualize the physical quantity because it is not used in one single sitting. We consume water all day long: it is running from a faucet, or swirling down a drain, or boiling noodles, or steeping tea, or bathing the dog, or showering after fixing a leaking section of the sprinkler system.

The average American individual consumes 80 - 100 gallons of water everyday.

If you would like a water usage estimate for your household click the link...USGS water science school

My Your Our Water

Spanning the Lake

Prior to the renovations of Roosevelt Dam in 1989, traffic had to be diverted off  the top of the dam. The  Roosevelt Lake Bridge was constructed to relocate Highway 188.  The blue painted steel bridge spans 1,080 feet across the reservoir. It is the longest two-lane, single-span steel arch bridge in North America. In November of 1995, it was designated as one of the top twelve bridges in the United States along side the Golden Gate Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge.

My Your Our Water

Meanwhile at Roosevelt Dam...

The construction of the dam was initially completed in 1911 at the cost of $10 million with a National Historic Landmark designation to follow. It was the largest masonry dam at 280 ft high and 723 feet in length. In its' original state, the top of the dam served as a convenient and practical bridge across the newly formed lake.

Between 1989-1996 Roosevelt Dam went under a massive renovation and expansion. The masonry dam was incased in concrete and raised by 77 feet making it a grand 357 feet in height thereby increasing the storage capacity of the reservoir by 20%. The renovations also included, rehabilitation of the hydroelectric plant, a realignment of Highway 188 to cross over the newly built Theodore Roosevelt Lake Bridge, and a tunneling project known as the "Lake Tap".

Shortly after completion of the project the region entered an extended drought. The new storage capacity was not used at 100%  until February 2009. 

My Your Our Water