New Waddell Dam

New Waddell Dam
New Waddell Dam is located in Arizona
New Waddell Dam
Location of New Waddell Dam in Arizona
New Waddell Dam is located in the United States
New Waddell Dam
New Waddell Dam (the United States)
CountryUnited States
LocationMaricopa County, Arizona
Coordinates33°50′49″N 112°15′58″W / 33.84694°N 112.26611°W / 33.84694; -112.26611
PurposeIrrigation, power
StatusOperational
Construction began1985
Opening date1994
Construction cost$625 million
Owner(s)U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Operator(s)Central Arizona Project
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment, zoned earth-fill
ImpoundsAgua Fria River
Height (foundation)440 ft (130 m)
Height (thalweg)300 ft (91 m)
Length4,700 ft (1,400 m)
Width (crest)35 ft (11 m)
Width (base)1,514 ft (461 m)
Dam volume16,200,000 cu yd (12,400,000 m3)
Spillways2
Spillway typeUn-gated, free-flow, Fuse plug embankment
Spillway capacity316,000 cu ft/s (8,900 m3/s) (combined; at elevation)
Reservoir
CreatesLake Pleasant
Total capacity1,108,600 acre⋅ft (1.3674×109 m3)
Catchment area1,459 sq mi (3,780 km2)
Surface area12,040 acres (4,870 ha)
Normal elevation1,725 ft (526 m) (maximum)
Power Station
Commission date1994
Turbines4 x 11.25 MW (15,090 hp)pump-generators
Installed capacity45 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.