Sustainably Covering the Central Arizona Project

Abstract

The Central Arizona Project is second largest and expansive aqueduct system in the entire United States. It moves more than 1.5 million acre feet of water annually which is only half of its capacity. This engineering marvel is truly incredible that supports millions of people in the state as well as well as millions of people around the United States that are in need of crops year-round. The Southwest is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. With climate change affecting yearly temperatures and water needs in this region increasing, infrastructure of the Central Arizona Project needs to be retrofitted with new technologies to combat against the water loss that comes from evaporation due to the open aired canal. This study was designed to look at three different technologies with the capability of covering the Central Arizona Project canal and reduce the amount of water that is lost annually.