SRP completes $2.5 million Gilbert Road Pipeline project

GILBERT, Ariz. - A new, multimillion dollar project to help supply water to Valley residents when conditions are extra dry is officially complete.

"Emotional can't even describe it," said Sharon Morris with the Salt River Project (SRP). "This was really a labor of love across the company, across the Salt River Project."

Big picture view:

The $2.5 million Gilbert Road Pipeline project moves water from south of the Salt River to the Arizona Canal, giving SRP the flexibility to deliver water to more Arizona homes and businesses when water supply is low.

"The issue really is, is just like everywhere in the Southwest, we're dealing with long-term drought," said Leslie Meyers, Associate General Manager For Water at SRP. "So, our purpose with building the Gilbert Road Pipeline is to provide flexibility, reliability, and resiliency in our water delivery system."

The 3.5-mile-long pipeline can transport 20,000 gallons of water per minute to the canals, which follow the original pathways created by the first people on this land.

 "We don't have Chief Sitting Bull or Geronimo to point to, but one of the things that our ancestors were known for was developing canal systems through this whole valley," said Martin Harvier, president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.

Dig deeper:

The project also includes the installation of the Granite Underground Storage Project, allowing cities to store underground water and recover it when it is needed most.

"This is a great project that's going to help us deliver water to the cities that are north of the Salt River," Meyers said.