Gila Bend Canal
The Gila Bend Canal [ ˈhilə ˈbɛnd kəˈnæl ] is an important irrigation canal in western Maricopa County , on the edge of the Sonoran Desert, in the US state of Arizona .
It begins near the confluence of the Arlington Canal at the now destroyed Gillespie Dam and leads over a length of about 70 km of water from the Gila River and its tributaries into the valley around the village of Gila Bend, which is intensively used for arable farming . At times parallel to the canal and crossing it several times, a section of the Union Pacific Railroad also runs, and the Sonoran Desert National Monument is nearby .
Web links
- Photo of the ruptured Gillespie Dam
- Photo series of flood events in the Phoenix / Arizona region since the 1940s (Panoramio, images from the local disaster control agency)
- Map of Maricopa County
Coordinates: 33 ° 1 ′ 33 ″ N , 112 ° 39 ′ 21 ″ W.