Canyon Lake Drawdown to Begin Sept. 16
Lake will be closed for about 16 weeks for critical dam safety inspections and maintenance.
The water level of Canyon Lake, about 50 miles east of Phoenix, will be lowered for approximately 16 weeks starting Sept. 16, 2026, for dam safety inspections and maintenance. Tonto National Forest will close the lake, including all boat ramps and access points, during this time.
Salt River Project (SRP) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation lower Canyon Lake for critical dam safety inspections and maintenance once every 20 years. While inspections and maintenance are regularly performed on the dams, some critical equipment is located underwater, which makes it inaccessible without lowering the lake level.
According to SRP, the lake's water level will be lowered by approximately 54 feet through a drawdown process. The work will focus on the normally submerged portions of Mormon Flat and Horse Mesa dams, as well as the river channel downstream of Horse Mesa Dam. No water will be wasted, just stored in other reservoirs while the work is performed. The lake drawdown will not interfere with water delivery from the Salt and Verde river reservoirs to SRP's water customers.
Benefits of the project support the operational safety of the dams for water storage and flood control and help ensure water reliability for more than 2.5 million Valley residents who receive water from SRP reservoirs. The drawdown will also provide an opportunity for other agencies and businesses to perform any necessary maintenance work and repairs to their Canyon Lake facilities.
For more information, visit SRP at the link below.