The Central Arizona Project:

On account of lacking of surface water, groundwater was pumped massively in the state of Arizona since 1960s. In order to deal with this problem effectively, promote economic and social development of Arizona, the Central Arizona Project (CAP) was constructed by the federal government in 1990s. It is a large scale and long distance water transfer project, which is also the largest and most expensive water transfer project in the hydraulic engineering history of the United States. The main facilities of CAP include aqueducts, pumping plants, siphons, tunnels, dams and so on. The main purpose of the CAP is to provide water for agriculture, domestic and industry use in central and southern Arizona. Meanwhile, the CAP also has the functions of flood control, power generation, sediment control, recreation and so on. This paper introduces the background, important facilities, management and benefits of the CAP.