Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Registration Details: $125. Registration includes transportation to and from Tempe Town Lake. All registrants must ride the bus to the dam and ride the bus back to the hotel from the dam. Attendees will not be able to drive to the field trip.
About Tempe Town Lake: Tempe Town Lake is located in between McClintock and Priest roads on the Salt River in Tempe Arizona. It is a 2-mile-long manmade body of water containing an approximate volume of 977 million gallons. The lake was created in 1999 with the construction two inflatable rubber dams, the eastern dam located near McClintock, and the western dam located near the Tempe Center of Arts. These dam systems were replaced in 2016 with the current steel gate dam system that is still in use today. The eastern dam was retired and decommissioned while the remnants of the western dam were converted to a pedestrian bridge. The current steel dam is hydraulically actuated and automatically maintains a target lake level. It contains 8 gates, with each gate having two large hydraulic cylinders. The lake generates tourism and stimulates the local economy for the City of Tempe, many events take place at the lake including the Ironman triathlon.
The tour will arrive at the Tempe Center of Arts, located adjacent to the dam. This will provide an up-close look at the dam system, and attendees will be able to walk across the pedestrian bridge to the current control room. Tempe operations staff will be there to answer operational technical questions. Once the tour has concluded, we will make our way back across the bridge to the tour busses.
