The Agua Fria River (Spanish for "cold water") is a long intermittent stream which flows generally south from east-northeast of
Prescott in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. Prescott draws much of its municipal water supply from the upper Agua Fria watershed. The Agua Fria runs through the
Agua Fria National Monument. The river then flows through a small canyon called "Black Canyon" into
Lake Pleasant, a popular recreation area near
Peoria, Arizona
Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the state of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a portion in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the popul ...
.
(There is a large "
Black Canyon" on the Colorado River along the Arizona–
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
border.)
During rainy weather and at times when water is flowing in the intermittent Agua Fria River, it discharges into the
Gila River
The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...
, which also only flows during wet periods of the year.
The
Central Arizona Water Conservation District of the
Central Arizona Project
The Central Arizona Project (CAP) is a 336 mi (541 km) diversion canal in Arizona in the southern United States.
The aqueduct diverts water from the Colorado River to the Bill Williams Wildlife Refuge south portion of Lake Havasu ne ...
operates the Agua Fria Recharge Project, which is about south of the
New Waddell Dam
The New Waddell Dam is an embankment dam on the Agua Fria River in Maricopa County, Arizona, northwest of Phoenix. It serves as part of the Central Arizona Project (CAP) while also providing water for the Maricopa Water District. The dam create ...
. It serves to recharge underground aquifers in this area, and ends at Lake Pleasant, Phoenix.
Agua Fria Recharge Project
Variant names
According to the Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...
, it has also been known historically as:
Course
The Agua Fria River rises about 1.5 miles northeast of Granite Dells, Arizona and then flows south to join the Gila River
The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...
about 1 mile south of Goodyear, Arizona
Goodyear (O'odham language, O'odham: ''Valin Thak'') is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census had a population o ...
.
Watershed
Agua Fria River drains of area, receives about 16.4 in/year of precipitation, has a wetness index of 415.05, and is about 11% forested.Wickenburg
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa and Yavapai counties, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the town was 7,474, up from 6,363 in 2010.
History
The Wickenburg area, along with much of the Southwest, became part ...
, close to 111 Ave. in El Mirage.
See also
* List of rivers of Arizona
* Indian Mesa
References
External links
Maricopa Audubon Society Page on the Agua Fria Wildlife Preserve
by Maricopa County
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...
Agua Fria – New River Natural Resource Conservation District
Photos taken along the Agua Fria River
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Rivers of Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Rivers of Maricopa County, Arizona
Rivers of Yavapai County, Arizona
Tributaries of the Gila River