Theodore Roosevelt Dam, the cornerstone of Salt River Project’s water-management system, turns 100 years old this month. SRP, the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service are partnering on three celebrations to mark the anniversary of the dam’s dedication event on March 18, 1911.
The 357-foot-high Roosevelt Dam, located on the Salt River, was built between 1905 and 1911. Power was first delivered on a permanent basis from the hydroelectric facility in 1909.
The Theodore Roosevelt Dam facility has a generating capacity of 36,000 kWh.
Two invitation-only-events will be held on Friday, March 18: At the crest of Roosevelt Dam, Gov. Jan Brewer, SRP President David Rousseau and John Sullivan, associate general manager of SRP’s Water group, will be among those addressing a crowd of about 200 prior to the opening of the time capsule that was placed at the dam at its Golden Jubilee celebration in 1961.
At a simultaneous event at SRP’s PERA Club in Tempe, SRP General Manager Dick Silverman, Congressmen David Schweikert and Ben Quayle and Bruce Ellis, Bureau of Reclamation’s acting deputy area manager, will address guests prior to viewing the centennial event from the dam via live satellite feed. Also on the agenda is the creation of a new time capsule marking the centennial.
The public is welcome to celebrate Roosevelt Dam’s centennial the following day on Saturday, March 19.
Festivities will begin at the Roosevelt Lake Visitors’ Center, where complimentary shuttle busses will take visitors to the crest of the dam on a first-come, first-served basis. The last bus to the dam will depart from the Visitors’ Center at 3:30 p.m.
Friday, March 18, from 12:30-2 p.m., at Roosevelt Dam
All media attending the event at the dam must be credentialed by SRP in advance by contacting Jo Ziervogel, SRP Community Outreach, at (602) 236-2636. SRP will also be posting updates and photos from the event on Twitter (http://Twitter.com/SRPconnect) and Facebook (http://Facebook.com/SRPconnect).
Friday, March 18, from 11:30-2 p.m., at the SRP PERA Club, 1 E. Continental Drive, Tempe. Media credentials must also be obtained for the PERA Club event from Jo Ziervogel, SRP Community Outreach, at (602) 236-2636.
Saturday, March 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Roosevelt Lake Visitors’ Center, Arizona Route 88, Roosevelt, which is located just east of the dam.This event is open to the public, and media credentials are not required.
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