Tempe Town Lake: 60s-era ASU alum helped to transform the dry Salt River into an oasis

For much of the 20th century, the stretch of Salt River in the Phoenix area was a dry riverbed that was considered to be an eyesore. Thanks to a group of ASU students, a stretch of the Salt River in Tempe has now become a point of pride for the Valley. FOX 10's John Hook reports.
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[@shawnbegay4966]

I was four months old when this project was started. As I grew up in the Phoenix area, I remember those Rio Salado signs. I remember what a marvel it was when the Salt River flooded and still find it a marvel when I travel and see a riverbed with water flowing through it. I turned 56 a few days ago.

[@davidwirsh4992]

Thank you for this nice segment in history. And enjoyable change from all the other news

[@michaelnelmonk]

It needs to be cleaned & maintained. I run around it 3x/week and it smells like cesspool. You can literally see trash and dead fish washed up on the boat ramps that’s been there for months.

[@SirePeabody]

That lake is Trash seems to be turning into a homeless encampment site. Human feces through out the area . Needs to be maintained and cleaned up

[@toddbob55]

So much pride in older generations of people

[@southwestAZ]

Thank you too those class too help the salt river in az

[@SJR_Media_Group]

As a former student of Landscape Architecture at University of Washington in Seattle, we often did projects that directly benefited the public. We were tasked to dream big and look for solutions. To this day, I have great memories of working with elected officials, parents, teachers, and more.

[@ghostshirt1984]

Washington state is where real water fronts are, in Tucson washes are called rivers and scorpions are land lobsters😂

[@SJR_Media_Group]

@@ghostshirt1984Thanks for comment and a good chuckle...

[@humbertomacias3239]

Amazing contribution to Arizona! Thank you 🙏 🍻

[@isaacrodriguez2523]

desert animals are suffering because the water isn't getting into the desert as much. This is distruction.

[@humbertomacias3239]

@@isaacrodriguez2523 go back to California.

[@ghostshirt1984]

😂 if you want real water fronts then move to coastal states😂

[@JohnEboyee]

Fun fact. Rio Salado translates to Salty River, hence the name The Salt River.

[@anthonynelson9136]

When the Tempe Town Lake project was first presented to the taxpayers it was to be a lake where you could swim and even put your boat on the lake and water ski. But as soon as they got the funding for the project that all changed. No swimming or private boating everything about the lake became commercialized by big business. The rubber dam that they first used was supposed to last for thirty years but it leaked soon after they filled the lake and only lasted a few years before it failed completely and the lake lost all of its water. Tempe town lake cost 350 million dollars to build. 75 percent of that was paid for by the city of Tempe taxpayers'. The new dam cost the taxpayers of Tempe 47 million dollars. Now the water stinks and has basically turned into a big swamp, and there is talk of draining it permanently. What boondoggle is up next for the city of Tempe? Maybe they could start building the Edsel automobile again.

[@TTinAZ]

Thank you for telling the REAL story of Tempe Town Lake!💯

[@SAMann729]

Thanks granddad for the history lesson

[@jrortega5062]

We need more people who accept peoples opinions I feel we need more of this in the future

[@andrenewcomb3708]

Schoolboy didn't do it. Salt River Project has a facility very near there and it's been there for quite some time. Tempe Town Lake is there because there are two bedrocks on both sides and it can slowly recharge (even through rock). Something else you folks might want to remember when people talk water . . . the canals, themselves, recharge along their lengths AND flood irrigation has considerably MORE incidental recharge then it's given credit for. You might say that these factors are sort of 'grandfathered' contributions to the hydrology picture that 'oh-so-smart' mouthpieces like to harp against.

[@ssshhclos405]

Good Stuff.. enjoy it every time I ride my bike along it

[@gonzar40]

whatever this was supposed to come all the way down 7th Street to the South side River bottom! south Phoenix didn't get a drop of it! so who the hell cares about this subject not me.

[@sting64az]

No money I suppose.

[@gonzar40]

Yes I was going to say the same thing but you said it for me. Thank you who gives a crap about that Tempe lake. Southside never got a damn thing but a ugly bushes, in our river bottom.

[@revolutionpower1554]

That comment he made at 6:27 true and hilarious... ☁️ ☁️ ☁️ 🎈🌤️ 🏝️🗻🏝️

[@KarinaTheDreama]

My father worked on the Mill Ave Bridge design at ASU in the mid-late sixties. Nevertheless I recall many fears about it holding during floods. One major damage but I think it held up through the early 80’s or so?

[@echobase1648]

....meanwhile we can't keep Lake Mead or Lake Powell filled!

[@ghostshirt1984]

That's the South west water problem, why I left Arizona for Washington state, Seattle where water problems are not happening like in the south west.

[@kellenpatton7001]

I feel like if the sea levels are rising we can extract water from the sea of Cortez and desalinize it and we could have a tempe town lake in the whole valley would be a mega project would be worth it

[@basedoz5745]

Or we could conserve water through regulations of exports during droughts, then expand this water infrastructure and store water for residents, instead of increasing their water costs with desal.

[@BertShackleford]

Lost my favorite (lucky) fishing lure in Tempe Town Lake. When and if it ever dries up enough to walk upon, you can guarantee that I'll be out there searching for my favorite lure. Lost it back in 2003ish during my bachelor days (when Tempe was still affordable/enjoyable) and my fishing game has suffered ever since. Stay classy my friends.

[@jayjae21jj]

Are they going to finish it

[@DJA-BOMB]

6:23 "Ya but uh, I think yah get paid in different ways..." 🤔 Sus

[@GibsonReview]

I actually prefer the "ugly" dry riverbed. The lake is GREY WATER! That is sofa king gross.

[@djkramit]

Remember Club Rio? 😵

[@bobv1395]

I will always not be happy with the design of the buildings along tempe town lake it's not south west.it is a good idea but all that glass just doesn't fit

[@christianwolf68]

the question has to be asked, are college students or even any child encouraged to dream like this. with the current drought only getting worse, maybe the same challenge should be done now. give the task to the next generation cause its obvious this generation cant get it done, or don't want to get it done

[@azreznative]

Oh they up bubber.....

[@rosephoenix4634]

From 1966 those people that are Engineers that they're already done their homework already very very good over 100% ever met those people there or like the real American engineers and I get them over 10 stores.are already done their homework very carefully study analyzed it understanding including that the name of this Lake that it is already something mystery it's like am how to say this something came out and see something amazing and I congratulate them. Let the environment expand and grow and do her work that was a great job anyway but however it is only that matter in time that the dry lake the dry River that is going to get fitted about this leg and history is going to be repeated self because today by now in 2022 nobody cares about the environment because you're already lost the chance you'll be already done so how things going to fix it in the future because for those 13 people like their data earlier you already heard them speaking and already done their homework so good if there was a predecessor of a younger one for man and woman could teach from older people and passed it on today that skills and understanding the past onto the younger one and then after that well it could be your amazing daughter of the sea before and after because this is The Real Americans engineer right here already done their homework today right now. Well not we are Americans Engineers are not doing their homework like how to say there's the environment in 2022 Tigger say whatever they want and it will be happen dead where happened a blah blah blah yada yada yada but you know this everyone that there is no any of well why it's going to happen to future but for those guys 13 guys already done a home with a long time ago I give them a engineer of solving of puzzle and if it together and today that well here it is

[@dragonfly4425]

With the drought Arizona is facing, it'll be dry again.

[@jaymay5457]

It really doesn't seem like much of an accomplishment they dammed off a 2 mile section of the river. It smells pretty bad in the summer

[@markfuller]

Mo skeetos!

[@interceptingfist5682]

"top tourists attractions" jeez Arizona really doesn't have much going for it.

[@pinksigil]

Facts

[@ghostshirt1984]

Not much😂

[@Perich29]

wow a man maid lake.