New Waddell Dam

New Waddell Dam
Location of New Waddell Dam in Arizona Show map of Arizona New Waddell Dam (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
Location	Maricopa County, Arizona
Coordinates	33°50′49″N 112°15′58″W / 33.84694°N 112.26611°W / 33.84694; -112.26611
Purpose	Irrigation, power
Status	Operational
Construction began	1985
Opening date	1994
Construction cost	$625 million
Owner(s)	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Embankment, zoned earth-fill
Impounds	Agua Fria River
Height (foundation)	440 ft (130 m)
Height (thalweg)	300 ft (91 m)
Length	4,700 ft (1,400 m)
Width (crest)	35 ft (11 m)
Width (base)	1,514 ft (461 m)
Dam volume	16,200,000 cu yd (12,400,000 m3)
Spillways	2
Spillway type	Un-gated, free-flow, Fuse plug embankment
Spillway capacity	316,000 cu ft/s (8,900 m3/s) (combined; at elevation)
Reservoir
Creates	Lake Pleasant
Total capacity	1,108,600 acre⋅ft (1.3674×109 m3)
Catchment area	1,459 sq mi (3,780 km2)
Surface area	12,040 acres (4,870 ha)
Normal elevation	1,725 ft (526 m) (maximum)
Power Station
Commission date	1994
Turbines	4 x 11.25 MW (15,090 hp)pump-generators
Installed capacity	45 MW (60,000 hp)

The New Waddell Dam is an embankment dam on the Agua Fria River in Maricopa County, Arizona, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Phoenix. It serves as part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) while also providing water for the Maricopa Water District. The dam creates Lake Pleasant with water from the Agua Fria and also the CAP aqueduct. In addition, it affords flood protection, hydroelectric power production and recreational opportunities. Construction on the dam began in 1985 and ended in 1994. Its reservoir submerged the Old Waddell Dam which was completed in 1927 after decades of planning.