AZ Power Company Hopes New Lake Will Be A Charge!

Arizona is looking for a new way to power its growing cities and towns. The Salt River Project (SRP), one of Arizona's largest power companies, is exploring a solution that will have a lot of impact on our state, both in terms of power generation and environmental impact.

SRP plans to build a new lake between Roosevelt and Apache Lakes. The goal is for the new body of water to generate up to 2,000 megawatts of power, which is enough to power about 450,000 homes. Over two million people in central Arizona rely on SRP for their electricity.

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Building a New Lake in Arizona: Environmental Concerns

If you've ever built a pond or a water feature, you know you're creating a microenvironment that can have benefits and disadvantages for your property. The water creates homes and resources for insects, pollinators, and wildlife.

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Bringing a lake-sized amount of water to the middle of an arid state is a highly scaled-up version of this eco-system revamp. SRP plans to use about 300 acres of land for the new lake. If a pond creates changes, imagine how local ecosystems and wildlife habitats could be disrupted or changed by a body of water this large. 

The project will use water from the Salt River, which could affect water usage in other ecosystems that rely on it.

According to SRP's website, building this lake and the accompanying hydroelectric power plant is another step toward their 2050 goal of zero emissions to "meet the water and power needs of today's customers and future generations."

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On the bright side, once it's up and running the power plant's operational emissions are low compared to fossil fuel-based power plants.

A New Lake for Arizona Recreation or Just a Power Plant on Water?

One more potential benefit of a new lake in the center of our state is the possibility it could become a new recreation area for boating, fishing, and camping.

Right now, there's no word on if or even when the new lake could serve as a hotspot for outdoor adventures, but it's not off the table. If all goes according to plan, the lake should be built and generating electricity for Arizona as early as 2033.

Sources: SRP | WMI Central | 12News | Hoodline