One of the quirky things about the desert is that our rivers often have no water in them... until it rains. And in the desert that happens infrequently. Sometimes, though, we turn a river into a lake for recreation, community improvement and even flood control.
The Salt River used to flow through the Valley of the Sun providing water to city inhabitants. In the early 1900's a series of dams were built on the river to provide power and water for farming. Eventually the river ceased to flow in the city and the Phoenix area was left with a dry river bed. Then, in the 1990's Tempe city planners had a plan to bring back the water. Tempe Town Lake was completed and "opened" in 1999 and its pedestrian bridge (#27 on my "100 Things in Arizona" list) in 2011.
The Tempe Town Lake Walking Bridge is at the west end of the lake.
There is no doubt that this bridge is eye-candy for those who enjoy art or architecture!
The lake utilizes rubber, air inflated dams bolted to a concrete slab to contain the lake at each end. The dam is divided into sections called a bladder. Each one is 225 feet long, weighs 10 tons and is an inch thick! The dam can resist flood water and debris at flow rates higher than ever recorded for the Salt River.
Never heard of an inflatable dam? There are over 2,200 inflatable dams in eleven countries around the world. The dams are simple to install, have low maintenance requirements and a long life expectancy.
Sprinklers mist the dam bladders to cool them off and to keep them from drying out and cracking.
The dam at the east end stands five feet high on a concrete base while the dam on the west end (the downstream end) is 16 feet high on a concrete base. It is the highest inflatable dam in North America.
The view from the bridge is spectacular making it a popular path for joggers, walkers and bikers.
Our group (Mike, Laurie, Matt, Richard, Kristin, Janne and Adam) enjoyed the trek across the bridge!
Thumb Up or Down: Up!
Miles Round Trip: 32.7 miles
Miles To Date: 4967.5 miles
Percent of List Completed: 55%
Date of This Trip: May 12, 2012
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