Salt River Project (SRP) has requested that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) conduct the Verde Reservoirs Sediment Mitigation Study (VRSMS) to evaluate options for restoring the storage capacity lost and to reduce future capacity impacts from the natural sedimentation process within the Horseshoe Reservoir on the lower Verde River northeast of Phoenix. The loss of capacity, coupled with the increase in hydrological variability associated with climate change, creates concerns about the Verde Reservoirs system’s future ability to meet the needs of the beneficiaries of the Salt River Federal Reclamation Project and the City of Phoenix, both of which rely on water stored in Horseshoe Reservoir. The purpose of the VRSMS is to evaluate potential solutions to mitigating current and future sedimentation impacts to the Verde Reservoir system. Options include 1) removing sediment from Horseshoe Reservoir to its original storage capacity and 2) enlarging Bartlett Reservoir, located downstream from Horseshoe Dam, by constructing a new dam immediately downstream from and abutting the current Bartlett Dam.
