Mickey Papillon

Composition 102

TTH 3:15

December 3, 1998

Proposal Paper

The Rio Salado Project: A River Once Again

As I looked out the window of the restaurant, I could see the sun bouncing off the sparkling water below. Boats and other water craft scatter the water as well as people on water-skis and inner tubes. The picturesque view makes life seem so much better and just looking at the river makes a person calmer. The scene just described is the view from the window of a restaurant called Sophia in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the corresponding river is the mighty Mississippi. Although Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, this scene could be found right here in the valley of Phoenix. The way this is possible is through the Rio Salado Project.

After the Roosevelt Dam dammed the Salt River in 1911, the bed that formed in its place has become a garbage-infested hole stretching through a large potion of the valley. In 1966 a group of architecture students at ASU first proposed the idea of the Rio Salado Project to a community-wide audience. It was approved by the legislature in 1980 and extensive planning has been underway since. The project will take 26 miles of the dry river bed, fill it in with purified wastewater, and make it into a 7,000-acre park over the next 2 decades (Rio Salado Development District 1).

I believe that we should continue with construction on the Rio Salado Project because of all its benefits to the valley area. The plan I am proposing is comprehensive of many plans already proposed since Rio Salado was first an idea over 30 years ago. The difference is that my plan combines the positive features of many different plans to make a new one. This includes ensuring that Town Lake provides a safe environment for all activities, providing flood control, encouraging development along the river, promoting recreation, improving the regional quality of life, attaining the economic benefits of the area, while still maintaining the historical content of the area.

Up until the early 1900’s, the Salt River flowed without any control or restraints. However, it was a burden for travelers on the trail leading from Prescott to Tucson. In 1911 the Roosevelt Dam was built upstream from Tempe and the flow was reduced until in the late 1930’s when the river ceased to flow altogether. Many people have often wondered what it would be like if the riverbed would once again be filled with water. However, the risks of potential floods up to now have kept the basin dry.

After the river had been completely dammed, people began to buy the land and build on it, all taking the risk that it would never flood again. The floods in the late 1970’s claimed back the land and caused extensive damage to the homes that were located in the basin. Because the possibility of a large flood is always present, the idea of Rio Salado was developed to counter the idea of building actually in the riverbed.

The Rio Salado Project itself is merely a concept devoted to the land and water development in the Salt River Flood area. The concept of a so-called "green belt" area around the river was proposed, and by the mid 1970’s, planning had begun. Many different plans have been proposed with a wide variety of concepts and ideas. All of which are based around the concept of a Town Lake as the center of the project.

The biggest benefit from the Rio Salado Project is the area that will develop around Town Lake. This is also one of the main topics at large right now. With the implementation of Rio Salado, the blemish in the land that we call the Salt River will gain a positive image and be a beautiful place. Many different ideas have been tossed out as to what should be built on the land. Many feel that the land would be best used for recreational purposes. Possibilities for this include a major state park, state fairgrounds, a sports complex or other structures such as libraries or museums. I propose the following items be built: bike paths, a boat launch, a sports complex that includes tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, badminton, basketball courts, and other various sports, and also a golf course.

To go along with the recreation aspects of this plan, other objectives include residential developments adjacent to the Salt River that handle the environmental restraints of Sky Harbor International Airport’s flight patterns (City of Tempe 17). Because the airport is located just minutes from the center of the project, careful planning must be done to insure that the approach paths of the airplanes don’t interfere with the beauty of the newly developed area. When the area is finally developed, it will contain a wide variety of cultural activities and facilities.

Beautification of the area will also be a positive outcome from the project. The lake will be unique to the valley, and because of its close proximity it will offer to residents an alternative to the other lakes in the area. According to residents of the Phoenix Metropolitan area, 73% felt optimistic that the project would help to improve the quality of life in the area (Center of Urban Studies 23). This project was first initiated to return life to what used to be a great resource to the valley. The 7,000 acres of land will be capable of spawning every imaginable activity.

One of the major concerns for the project was the lack of control of potential flooding of the river (Rio Salado Progress 2). According to research done by numerous groups including The Maricopa County Flood Control District and The United States, Arizona Association of Flood Plain Managers, with good engineering and design, the river will still be able to survive a "100-year flood event with minimal damage" (Rio Salado Development District 3). To handle this potential problem, I feel that we should install inflatable dams that in case of a heavy rain could be inflated to control the rising water levels in the lake.

More of a problem than the volume of water in the lake during a potential flood, is the velocity of it. However this problem could be easily managed through careful planning. When the water levels may be high during a flood, you might for example place a concrete bench in low spots, and use wooden more stylish ones in the high spots. There will most likely be some landscaping damage that would occur during a flood, but that too could be minimized. It’s all about the placement and careful planning that will make the project successful.

To make this proposal successful, the main item in this project, the water must have a solid plan. My goal is to keep the water level in the lake near drinking water standards, so that it can be used for recreation, irrigation needs, and commercial uses. Hopefully by keeping it clean, in the future we will also be able to use it as a source of ground water to serve the community. Water quality testing programs will be done as well to keep watch on the status of the water. Because it is hard to foresee the quality or the water after it reacts with the now dry Salt River Basin, certain activities such as swimming and wind surfing will be prohibited for the first year of operation on the lake.

Because all of the testing and maintenance on the lake does not come cheap, there will need to be some fees assessed on the users of the lake. One of the main goals of my proposal is to keep the cost of this project to a minimum for the citizens. Therefor, a fee structure will be set up to accommodate users who want to buy a season boating pass, or simply just go swimming for the day. These fees will reflect the costs of the lake after future review of the project.

The economy of the area will also be effected positively by the project. This project would require no new taxes, so there can be no argument that economically the project is bad for the citizens. The financing for the project comes mostly from tax dollars, and there are not going to be any new taxes imposed on the citizens of the city because of the project. With the construction of the commercial and industrial areas, Rio Salado will enhance the lifestyle of Valley residents (City of Tempe 18).

The Rio Salado project assumes that a variety of new developments will occur. Because an area that is currently residential is located in part of the proposed project, the residents living in these homes may be asked to relocate to different neighborhoods. It can almost be expected that some residents will not want to relocate and will end up staying in their homes. If they choose not to, then the city would have to work around it accordingly. Some of the areas the proposed plans pass through are lower-income areas. This will give an opportunity for the low-income groups to advance socially and economically (Economic Planning Division B-4). These residents will notice a boom in the economy of the area as well. With expanded commercial lands, the revenue to the area will skyrocket and population projections suggest that the area will double it’s size in the next 25 years (Economic Planning Division B-3).

There have been many people that have been opposed the Rio Salado Project as well. One of the biggest issues voiced by the people and the government were the economic impacts. One of the first things that needs to be done before any construction can begin is that we need to create new economic tools in legislature (Rio Salado Plan 15.) In other words, we need the Arizona Legislature to come up with a plan so that tax moneys can be allotted to fund the project. According to the Rio Salado Plan most of the tax impact will be on the state. Other taxes will be from Maricopa County and also the city of Tempe.

Other concerns that have been voiced are of the physical demands of the project. These concerns include problems with landfills and garbage dumps, and noise from the nearby airport. A park can safely be built in the riverbed that is spotted with landfills by dealing with the waste sites (Rio Salado Development District 4). First, money must be located and assigned to be used to pay for the cleanup. The money to deal with these dumps is coming from many different places. Much of the clean up will be privately paid for, however the City of Phoenix is also partially responsible to help pay for the clean up effort.

According to the Rio Salado Development District, the concern about the cleanup can be taken care of threefold. Its coordination of the cleanup will be a signal as to when further action can take place. The cleanup will also be a catalyst, as the ongoing construction will raise the pressure to deal with dumps. And thirdly, Rio Salado is a mediator that will help deal with the current dumping, and decline dumping in the future (Tempe: Rio Salado 19). As for airport noise, most of the project will not be in the direct flight path of the airport, and the land that is, has been planned accordingly not to include residential areas (Rio Salado Progress 2).

Through the plan that I have just described, it is clear that the Rio Salado project will be beneficial to the valley. The formation of Town Lake will not only help to make the area more attractive, but at the same time not cause any environmental problems. Because the project has already begun and the lake is expected to be filled during the year 1999 sometime, many of the ideas that I have proposed are going to happen. This proposal brings together the positive aspects of many previous plans for the area. The project will help to boost the economy of the area and create an exciting and new place to live. Because many of the residents are from the low-income bracket, this proposal would give them an opportunity to advance both economically as well as socially. Finally it will provide the valley with an improvement in the quality of life without sacrificing economically. Lounging by a river with a picturesque view of the mountains in the background. What could be more peaceful?

Works Cited

City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance. Phoenix: Planning department City of Phoenix, 990.

City of Tempe Page. City of Tempe. 18 Nov. 1998 http://www.tempe.gov/rio/

United States, Arizona. Center For Urban Studies. The Awareness, Knowledge, and Opinions of Metropolitan Phoenix Residents Regarding The Rio Salado Project. Tempe: 1982.

United States, Arizona. City of Tempe. Rio Salado Plan. Tempe: 1985.

United States, Arizona. City of Tempe. Town Lake Capacity and Needs Study Rio Salado Project. Tempe: Moffatt and Nichol Engineers, 1997.

United States, Arizona. Community/Development Department. Tempe: Rio Salado. Tempe: 1996.

United States, Arizona. Rio Salado Development District. Rio Salado Progress. Phoenix: 1983.

United States, Arizona. Rio Salado Development District. The Top Ten (Plus One): Answers To The Ten Questions Most Often Asked About The Rio Salado Project. Phoenix: 1987.

United States, Arizona. Economic Planning Division. Economic Impacts of Rio Salado and the Central United States, Arizona Water Control Study’s Plan Six Alternative. Tempe: 1983.