Page 10 - January - March, 2019 CityLine

Some Little-Known Facts about West Valley Water
The Litchfield Park Historical Society Museum’s newest exhibit, Water: The Evolution of a Resource,
explores the human relationship with water in our desert state and in the Southwest Valley and offers
the chance to learn some things about our local water you may not have known.
A large earthen dam protects the Litchfield Park area from flooding. In 1951, monsoon rain triggered
flooding at Luke Air Field and surrounding areas. Water ran down from the north end of the White Tank
Mountains through Trilby Wash, inundating roads and buildings. The Army Corps of Engineers and the
Maricopa County Flood Control District began construction of the McMicken Dam in 1954 in order

to protect the air base, Litchfield
Park, and area agriculture.
Named in honor of Kenneth
McMicken, manager of
Goodyear Farms and a first
cousin of Paul W. Litchfield, it
was completed in 1956. The 10-
mile long, 34-feet high structure
protects public facilities,
infrastructure, and property in
parts of Surprise, El Mirage,
and Sun City within an area of
247 square miles.

All water for utilities and
irrigation west of the Agua
Fria is pumped from the
ground. Water from the CAP
aqueduct and the Salt River
Project are often cited as main
water sources for the Phoenix
area, and dropping water
levels of Lake Mead will be
forcing Arizona to change how
water is allocated. All west
valley water, however, comes
from wells. Yet reliance on Flooding at Luke Air Force Base, August 1951
groundwater pumping has historically created its own set of problems. Over pumping has caused agricultural land to subside, or sink, by
as many as 18 feet near Luke Air Force Base, compacting the soil and inhibiting land’s ability to absorb enough water to fully recharge
underground aquifers.
Beaver once populated local rivers. Arizona’s river valleys once had perennial streams verdant with grasses. In 1825, mountain man
James Ohio Pattie led a party of trappers along the Gila to the Colorado River. They caught 30 beaver the first night they camped along
the Gila. This image offers a striking contrast to the dry riverbeds often seen in today’s landscape. But there is perhaps some hope. Along
river restoration areas in Phoenix, the return of beaver has been reported.

To learn more about water in our local environment, visit the Litchfield Park Historical
Society Museum on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday during the hours of 10am-4pm,
Labor Day through Memorial Day. Visit LitchfieldParkHistoricalSociety.org to learn
about upcoming events and speakers.

Water: The Evolution of a Resource has been partially underwritten by a grant
from SRP.

10 | Jan-Mar 2019 Issue litchfi eld-park.org