![]() Its capacity has since been increased form 4,500 kW to over 36,000 kW. The Theodore Roosevelt Powerplant was one of the first large power facilities constructed by the Federal Government. A private company was able to build a large smelter and mill nearby to process low-grade copper ore, using hydroelectric power. Cheap hydropower, in abundant supply, attracted industrial development as well. In addition Reclamation supplied all of the residential and commercial power needs of Phoenix. ![]() By 1916, nine pumping plants were in operation irrigating more than 10,000 acres. Wells pumped by electricity meant more irrigated land for agriculture, and pumping also lower water tables in those areas with water logging and alkaline soil problems. Power was sold to farms, cities, and industries. Power development, a byproduct of water development, had a tremendous impact on the area's economy and living conditions. A 4,500 kilowatt powerplant was constructed and, in 1909, five generators were in operation, supplying power for pumping irrigation water and furnishing electricity to the Phoenix area. Surplus power was sold to the community, and citizens were quick to support expansion of the dam's hydroelectric capacity. Small hydroelectric generators, installed prior to construction, provided energy for construction and for equipment to lift stone blocks into place. Reclamation's first hydroelectric powerplant was built to aid construction of the Theodore Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River about 75 miles northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. This proved to be a great savings to irrigators struggling to survive in the West. Much of the construction and operating costs of dams and related facilities were paid for by this sale of surplus power, rather than by the water users alone. Local industries, towns and farm consumers benefitted from the low-cost electricity. Surplus power was sold to existing power distribution systems in the area. When construction was complete, hydropower drove pumps that provided drainage of conveyed water to lands at higher elevations than could be served by gravity-flow canals. Night operations were possible because of the lights fed by hydroelectric power. Powerplants ran sawmills, concrete plants, cableways, giant shovels, and draglines. Hydropower was put to work lifting, moving, and processing materials to build the dams and dig canals. Powerplants were installed at the dam sites to carry on construction camp activities. This made it desirable to take advantage of the potential power source in water. In the early days, newly created projects lacked many of the modern conveniences, one of these being electrical power. ![]() Hydroelectric power generation has long been an integral part of Reclamation's operations while it is actually a byproduct of water development. The waterfalls of the Reclamation dams make them significant producers of electricity. The Bureau of Reclamation became involved in hydropower production because of its commitment to water resource management in the arid West. Hydroelectric plant design became fairly well standardized after World War I with most development in the 1920's and 1930's being related to thermal plants and transmission and distribution The years 1895 through 1915 saw rapid changes occur in hydroelectric design and a wide variety of plant styles built. When the electric motor came into being the demand for new electrical energy started its upward spiral. The early hydroelectric plants were direct current stations built to power arc and incandescent lighting during the period from about 1880 to 1895. Niagra Falls was the first of the American hydroelectric power sites developed for major generation and is still a source of electric power today. With the increase in development of other forms of electric power generation, hydropower's percentage has slowly declined and today provides about one tenth of the United States' electricity. In the 1940's hydropower provided about 75 percent of all the electricity consumed in the West and Pacific Northwest, and about one third of the total United States' electrical energy. By the early 1900's, hydroelectric power accounted for more than 40 percent of the United States' supply of electricity. In the 1700's mechanical hydropower was used extensively for milling and pumping. It was used by the Greeks to turn water wheels for grinding wheat into flour, more than 2,000 years ago. The mechanical power of falling water is an age-old tool. The History of Hydropower Development in the United Statesīy using water for power generation, people have worked with nature to achieve a better lifestyle.
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