Salt River Project
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| Association: Utility cooperative District: Government-owned corporation |
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| Industry | Public utility |
| Founded | February 7, 1903 |
| Headquarters | Tempe, Arizona, USA |
| Products |
Electricity Water |
| Revenue |
 US$2.98 billion (2014) |
|
US$96 million (2014) |
|
 US$212 million (2014) |
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Number of employees
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5,123 (2014) |
| Website | www.srpnet.com |
The Salt River Project (SRP) is the umbrella name for two separate entities: the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, an agency of the state of Arizona that serves as an electrical utility for the Phoenix metropolitan area, and the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association, a utility cooperative that serves as the primary water provider for much of central Arizona. It is one of the primary public utility companies in Arizona.
The name, Rio Salado Project, (Spanish for Salt River Project) is used to refer to the improvement projects along the Salt River through the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, is not related to SRP.
SRP serves nearly all of the Phoenix metropolitan area. A large portion of its electric service territory is shared with Arizona Public Service.
The Association is headed by a 10-member board and a 30-member council, while the District is headed by a 14-member board and a 30-member council. Both are elected by all landowners in the SRP service area through a "debt-proportionate" system. For instance, a person who owns five acres casts five votes.
Early settlers in Phoenix and nearby areas were forced to rely on the flow of the Salt River to sustain agricultural activities. The river was prone to both floods and droughts and proved to be a less than reliable resource for the settlers. Failed plans to build a dam on the river in 1897, combined with a series of droughts, heightened the need for controlling the river.
With the passage of the National Reclamation Act of 1902, funding for reclamation projects with low-interest government loans paved the way for the creation of the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association the following year. Over 200,000 acres (800 km²) of private land belonging to the ranchers and farmers in the association were pledged for collateral and the association was officially incorporated February 7, 1903, becoming the first multipurpose project started under the reclamation act. Following on March 14, 1903 this project was one of the first five reclamation projects approved, under the Act, by the Secretary of the Interior. Construction on the Roosevelt Dam would commence the following year.
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