The Aussie Plumber Podcast — Episode: Understanding the History of Water in Phoenix (Part 1)

James “The Aussie Plumber” Hill retraces Phoenix’s early water saga—from the late 1800s revival of Hohokam canal irrigation to the monumental completion of the Roosevelt Dam in 1911.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why early settlers copied ancient canal systems and how those canals supported agriculture and mining communities.
• How repeated floods and droughts pushed farmers and local leaders to form the Salt River Project and commission major dams.
• The role of the Roosevelt Dam and subsequent projects in controlling floods, storing water, and reducing sediment load — an early step toward treated water.
• When Phoenix built its first modern water treatment plant (Verde, 1949) and why that mattered for public health and urban growth.

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