Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project, Childs System, Flume (Pressure) Tunnel No. 7, Forest Service Road 708/502, Camp Verde

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-65-AA. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Between February and November Arizona Public Service (APS) and SWCA Environmental Consultants documented the hydroelectric complex, under guidance of the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER). Project managers Phil Smithers (APS) and Linda Martin (SWCA) coordinated historian Steely, photographer Jessica Maggio, and draftsman Hanson Todachine to complete the HAER documentation. Archives for the Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project are at APS in Phoenix, Arizona. CHILDS-IRVING HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT, CHILDS SYSTEM: FLUME (PRESSURE) TUNNEL #7 HAER No.

AZ-65-AA (Page 2) Historic and Engineering Context: The Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project encompassed a unique system-according to engineering historians evaluating the historic complex since 1976-that 1) was constructed with great effort in an extremely remote landscape, 2) captured a natural water source and followed dramatic topography, 3) generated electric power in a remarkably simple and efficient manner, and 4) operated continuously for 95 years.

In addition to its individual significance nationwide, the Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project is a classic part of Arizona history spanning the century: remote low-grade mining operations sought reliable and less-expensive energy; a combination of investors, entrepreneurs and engineers modified a natural resource to supply the energy; cutting-edge technology entered a harsh and remote landscape; an isolated labor force merged those with skills learned far away with local residents, including Native Americans with traditional ties to the land; nearby communities soon offered an additional customer base; farmers and irrigation cooperatives became major consumers for their pumps and agricultural machinery; distant metropolitan areas boomed by tapping the energy source; and finally a conservative operational approach to investment and maintenance retained aging technology within a huge modern power grid for many, many years past a reasonable retirement.

Character Defining Attributes Component/Feature No.40 on National Register form. The only pressure-type tunnel in the Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Project was feet long, 3.5 feet wide and 6 feet high with a hydraulic grade of feet. The tunnel cut through Ikes Backbone, a ridge that separates the higher Fossil Creek Canyon at Stehr Lake from the Verde River Valley. It was excavated in four sections with three or four adits for access during construction. At its west end was a release gate that allowed water to exit the system, and access to the tunnel for cleaning and repair; partial buckling of the tunnel in required significant repairs. (Effland and Macnider CHILDS-IRVING HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT, CHILDS SYSTEM: FLUME (PRESSURE) TUNNEL #7 HAER No.

AZ-65-AA (Page 3) Bibliography Arizona Public Service (APS) Archives Historic photograph collection. Historic drawings collection. Historic documents collection. Available through appointment at: APS, P.O. Box Phoenix, Arizona Effland, Richard W., and Barbara S. Macnider Childs-Irving Hydroelectric Facilities. National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Washington, Neal, and Linda Martin Childs/Irving Hydroelectric Decommissioning Project, Historic Properties Management Plan Prepared for APS/Generation Engineering. SWCA Environmental Consultants. Flagstaff. CHILDS-IRVING HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT, CHILDS SYSTEM: FLUME (PRESSURE) TUNNEL #7 HAER No. AZ-65-AA (Page 4) 1-4---,i! ~~~~~~~-ulL9~~--~~--.