The Salt River Project (SRP) is the umbrella name for two separate entities: the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, an agency of the state of Arizona that serves as an electrical utility for the Phoenix metropolitan area, and the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association, a utility cooperative that serves as the primary water provider for much of central Arizona. It is one of the primary public utility companies in Arizona. The name, Rio Salado Project – "Rio Salado" is Spanish for "Salt River" – used to refer to the improvement projects along the Salt River through the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, is not related to SRP. Service territory SRP serves nearly all of the Phoenix metropolitan area. A large portion of its electric service territory is shared with Arizona Public Service. Governance Each company of SRP is governed separately. For the Association, landowners elect a president, a vice president, a 10-member board of governors and 30 council members. For the District, landowners elect a president, a vice president, a 14-member board of directors and 30 council members. The officials of each organization are elected on the first Tuesday in April of even-numbered years. The last scheduled Association and District elections were held on April 7, 2020. Both are elected by all landowners in the SRP service area through a "debt-proportionate" system. For instance, a person who owns five acres casts five votes. History The Hohokam, the ancestors of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian and Gila River Indian communities, built canals spanning nearly 500 miles. The SRP canal system follows much of the ancient canal network. Early settlers in Phoenix and nearby areas were forced to rely on the flow of the Salt River to sustain agricultural activities. The river was prone to both floods and droughts and proved to be a less than reliable resource for the settlers. Failed plans to build a dam on the river in 1897, combined with a series of droughts, heightened the need for controlling the river. With the passage of the National Reclamation Act of 1902, funding for reclamation projects with low-interest government loans paved the way for the creation of the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association the following year. Over of private land belonging to the ranchers and farmers in the association were pledged for collateral and the association was officially incorporated February 7, 1903, becoming the first multipurpose