Childs - Irving Hydroelectric Project Home Page

	Welcome The Childs-Irving on Fossil Creek is unique in its location, its history and its future. Childs-Irving, Arizona’s first commercial hydroelectric plant is located on Fossil Creek among the rugged beauty of the Mogollon Rim country. In 1908, when construction began on the facility, its design and remote location made Childs-Irving a logistical and engineering marvel. Childs - Irving Hydroelectric Project Background History How a Hydroelectric Facility Works Photo Gallery
Fossil Creek Area Remote. Scenic. Nearly pristine wilderness. A unique natural phenomenon. All these describe Fossil Creek and its canyon. Located at the base of the Mogollon Rim where the high desert abruptly rises to forested highlands, Fossil Springs gush 43 cubic feet per second of cool, pale-blue water year-round. These waters form Fossil Creek and nourish a lush forested oasis amidst the pinyon and juniper scrub of the surrounding country. Only a small amount of water currently runs the entire 14 miles of Fossil Creek’s stream bed, but after the Childs-Irving plant is decommissioned, it's waters once again will flow unimpeded through a largely undeveloped portion of central Arizona, re-creating a wetland ecosystem valuable for wildlife habitat and creek-side recreation.

Childs - Irving Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning
In 1991, as part of APS’ standard procedures, the utility company filed its application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to re-license the Childs-Irving Power Plant.  However, when a coalition of community and environmental groups requested that APS analyze and consider decommissioning, preliminary settlement negotiations were undertaken between APS, these intervenors and interested parties.

In 1999, after consideration and negotiation with environmental and community stakeholders, APS announced it had decided to decommission the Childs-Irving plant and restore full flow of Fossil Creek’s waters to its stream bed. APS felt that because of the stream’s unique qualities, decommissioning the plant was a rare opportunity to return the area to its original condition. The benefits to the public associated with restoring this unique stream to its natural flowing state outweighed the business benefits the facility provided APS.

While Childs-Irving was an important source of electricity for the early development of central Arizona and its mining industry, today the Childs-Irving plant’s output provides a small percentage of the power going to the APS grid. Decommissioning the facility will have no impact on APS’ ability to meet the West's growing energy demands or to compete in a deregulated environment.

Since APS’ 1991 petition for re-licensing is still pending with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the process of decommissioning the hydroelectric facilities will begin once FERC approves the agreement.  On April 30, 2002, APS filed an application for surrender of the Childs-Irving license and began the process to obtain this approval for the decommissioning of the plant.

For the past 50 years, APS has managed the Childs-Irving Power Plant and its surrounding environs in a manner consistent with its commitment to the environment. As a corporate citizen of Arizona, APS reviewed its operating processes in light of its business goals, the restructuring of the electric industry and its other commitments, and determined that decommissioning was simply the right business decision and the right environmental decision. The people of Arizona and the Southwest are the richer for it.

Childs - Irving Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning:
Community Involvement
Facility Description
Decommissioning Documents

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Reach 16 and Reach 17 Closeout Documents

Fossil Creek Area Temporary Closure

Site Overview

Reference Links: 
Ferc Ferris (Docket No. p-2069-007)
Press Releases
Pine/Strawberry Historical Society
FirstGov.gov
"A Fossil Creek Bibliography" - Hooper/Monroe

Contact  APS regarding the Childs/Irving Hydroelectric Project