Lower Colorado Region

Phoenix Area Office - Programs & Activities

Archaeological sites, historic buildings and structures, historic districts,landscapes, and objects are the fabric of our national heritage. Collectively known as cultural resources (or sometimes heritage assets), they are our tangible links with the past. As an agency of the Federal government, Reclamation is responsible for, and committed to, protecting and managing these irreplaceable resources in a spirit of stewardship for future generations. 

Phoenix Area Office Archaeologists:

A History of Reclamation’s Projects in Arizona

Central Arizona Project (CAP) Cultural Resources

The Central Arizona Project is a multipurpose water resource development and management project that provides water to nearly one million acres of Indian and non-Indian irrigated agricultural land areas in Maricopa, Pinal, and Pima Counties, as well as municipal water for several Arizona communities, including the metropolitan areas of Phoenix and Tucson. Construction began in 1973 and was substantially complete by 1993. Major components include the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct, the Fannin-McFarland Aqueduct, and the Tucson Aqueduct.

The canal is supplemented by pumping plants, power lines, distribution lines, and other infrastructure. Lake Pleasant, impounded by New Waddell Dam, is part to the Central Arizona Project system and provides water storage, flood control, and recreation. Much of the Central Arizona Project is situated on federal land under the jurisdiction of the Phoenix Area Office. The Phoenix Area Office coordinates cultural resources management activities with the Central Arizona Water and Conservation District, which operates and maintains the Central Arizona Project, the Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Office, which manages recreation at Lake Pleasant, and other appropriate federal agencies. This includes the Bureau of Land Management, which manages some of the land that the Central Arizona Project crosses, and the Western Area Power Administration.

Central Arizona Project Map

Central Arizona Water and Conservation District’s Central Arizona Project Website

Lake Pleasant Regional Park Website

Phoenix Area Office Central Arizona Project Cultural Resources Collections in tDAR

Salt River Project (SRP) Cultural Resources

The Salt River Project was one of the first projects authorized under the Reclamation Act of 1902. The Salt River Project provides water from the Salt and Verde Rivers to a 240,000-acre service area in the Phoenix Basin. Water is impounded by seven dams, including Modified Theodore Roosevelt Dam, Mormon Flat Dam, Stewart Mountain Dam, Horse Mesa Dam, Horseshoe Dam, Bartlett Dam, and C.C. Cragin Dam. Water is diverted through the Granite Reef Diversion Dam and fed into a sprawling network of canals, including the Arizona Canal, the Grand Canal, the Tempe Canal, the New Crosscut Canal, the South Canal, the Consolidated Canal, the Eastern Canal, the Western Canal, and the Highline Canal.

Except for Modified Theodore Roosevelt Dam and C.C. Cragin Dam, all the features named above are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Most of these features are situated on federal land under the jurisdiction of the Phoenix Area Office. The Phoenix Area Office coordinates cultural resources management activities with the Salt River Project, which operates and maintains the Salt River Project, and other appropriate federal agencies. This includes the U.S. Forest Service, which manages the land on which most of the Salt River Project dams are situated, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Salt River Project Canal Map

Salt River Project Website

A Brief History of Theodore Roosevelt Dam

Phoenix Area Office Salt River Project Cultural Resources Collections in tDAR

Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA) Compliance:

An ARPA permit is required prior to initiating cultural resources investigations on Reclamation fee land. For proposed projects on Reclamation fee land, within the Phoenix Area Office’s jurisdiction, submit complete ARPA application packages to Lauren Jelinek (ljelinek@usbr.gov), allowing at least 3 weeks for review and signature. Please note that ARPA applications requiring ground disturbance or monitoring will require additional time for initiation and completion of tribal consultation prior to issuance. A complete ARPA application package should include:

1. A completed ARPA permit application form.
2. A shapefile of the project area.
3. If a Class I literature review is appropriate, a shapefile of the review area.
4. A description of the purpose, nature, and extent of the work proposed.
5. A summary of organizational capabilities.
6. A summary of organizational history in completing work of the kind proposed.
7. A curriculum vitae for each person listed as a Principal Investigator and Field Director in the ARPA application, identifying their education, training, and experience in the kind of work proposed and in the role proposed.
8. A repository agreement or other receipt for curation services.

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Compliance:

The NHPA was enacted in part to promote and provide leadership for historic preservation, administer federally owned or controlled historic properties for the benefit of present and future generations, contribute to the preservation of non-federally owned historic properties, encourage public and private preservation initiatives, and assist various entities in expanding their preservation programs. Reclamation complies with the NHPA in a variety of ways. Section 106 of the NHPA requires federal agencies to consider the impact of their actions on historic properties. Section 110 of the NHPA requires federal agencies to establish preservation programs for the identification, evaluation, and protection of historic properties. Reports and documentation of these compliance activities are maintained in the Phoenix Area Office cultural resources library and can be accessed by individuals in accordance with the provisions of 36 CFR 79.10.

Phoenix Area Office Cultural Resources Collections in tDAR

Phoenix Area Office Cultural Resources Report Library (updated 3/31/2023)

Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Compliance:

NAGPRA provides a process for determining the rights of lineal descendants and Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to certain Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, or objects of cultural patrimony with which they are affiliated. As part of the NAGPRA process, the Phoenix Area Office has published several Notices in the Federal Register. Notices of Inventory Completion:

1. Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects in the Possession of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Central Arizona Project Repository, Tucson, AZ, and in the Control of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ, February 27, 2002. 67 FR 8996.
2. Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects in the Possession of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Central Arizona Project Repository, Tucson, AZ, and in the Control of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ; Correction, July 9, 2002. 67 FR 45539.
3. Notice of Inventory Completion for Native American Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects in the Possession of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Central Arizona Project Repository, Tucson, AZ, and in the Control of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ; Correction, December 23, 2002. 67 FR 78247.
4. Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Regional, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ, December 1, 2003. 68 FR 67208.
5. Notice of Inventory Completion: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ, and Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, September 19, 2011. 76 FR 58035.

Notices of Intent to Repatriate:

1. Notice of Intent to Repatriate Unassociated Funerary Objects in the Possession of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Central Arizona Project Repository, Tucson, AZ, and in the Control of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ, February 27, 2002. 67 FR 8994.
2. Notice of Intent to Repatriate Cultural Items: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office, Phoenix, AZ, and Huhugam Heritage Center, Gila River Indian Community, AZ, May 4, 2010. 75 FR 23802.

Additionally, the Phoenix Area Office has published several Notices of Intended Disposition in newspapers in accordance with 43 CFR 10.6(c).

Notices of Intended Disposition:

1. City of Tucson Pipeline Interconnection Phase 2 Data Recovery, published in the Arizona Daily Star on November 4 and November 11, 2012.
2. San Carlos Irrigation Project Rehabilitation Phase 1 Data Recovery, published in the Arizona Republic and Coolidge Examiner on July 15 and July 22, 2015.
3. San Carlos Irrigation Project Rehabilitation Phase 2 Data Recovery, published in the Arizona Republic and Coolidge Examiner on September 18 and September 25, 2019.
4. Inadvertent Discovery on Reclamation Withdrawn Land, published in the Arizona Republic and Coolidge Examiner on June 3 and June 10, 2020.
5. Inadvertent Discovery on Reclamation Fee Land, published in the Arizona Daily Star and Arizona Republic on September 20 and September 27, 2021.
6. San Carlos Irrigation Project Rehabilitation Sacred Object, published in the Arizona Daily Star and Arizona Republic on March 21 and March 28, 2022.

Inadvertent Discoveries

If you think you have encountered Native American human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects and objects of cultural property on Reclamation fee land under the jurisdiction of the Phoenix Area Office, immediately contact Lauren Jelinek by phone at (623)773-6263 or by email at ljelinek@usbr.gov to report it.

Paleontological Resource Protection Act (PRPA) Compliance:

A PRPA permit is required prior to collecting most paleontological resources on Reclamation fee land. Pursuant to 43 CFR 49.15, a PRPA permit is not required for collecting fossilized minerals, petrified wood, and conodonts on Reclamation fee land. For proposed projects on Reclamation fee land, within the Phoenix Area Office’s jurisdiction, submit complete PRPA application packages to Lauren Jelinek ljelinek@usbr.gov to report it, allowing at least 3 weeks for review and signature. Please note that PRPA applications requiring ground disturbance will require additional time. A complete PRPA application package should include:

1. A completed PRPA permit application form.
2. A shapefile of the project area.
3. A description of the scope, need, and methodology of the work proposed.
4. A curriculum vitae for each person listed as supervising or conducting work in the PRPA application, identifying their education, training, and experience in the kind of work proposed and in the role proposed.
5. A repository agreement or other receipt for curation services.