This is a list of dams in Arizona that have been removed as physical impediments to free-flowing rivers or streams.
Removals by watershed
Verde River Fossil Creek, a perennial desert tributary of the Verde River, had been diverted to power the Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Facilities since 1909. In 2005 the power plants were decommissioned and the full flow of water was returned to the stream, marking the first time a desert stream in the Southwestern United States was restored to its natural flow. In 2008, the top of the dam were removed, with the remainder left in place to reduce cost and to block upstream passage of invasive fish species. This was just the second time a US dam was decommissioned for environmental reasons alone, following the 1999 removal of the Edwards Dam in Maine. Unlike with Edwards Dam, the removal of the Fossil Creek Diversion Dam supported fish with little to no commercial or recreational value.
Completed removals Dam Height Year removed Location Watercourse Watershed Concrete Dam 1982 Bright Angel Creek Fish Weir 2022 Coconino County Bright Angel Creek Colorado River Golder Dam 1980 Pinal County Cañada del Oro Santa Cruz River Fossil Creek Diversion Dam 2008 Gila County and Yavapai County Fossil Creek Verde River
Notes
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