by Philip Fortnam

We all understand what an engineering marvel the CAP system is; the power we use to lift water uphill to Phoenix and Tucson; the facts and figures that are CAP.

In my nearly 20 years as the CAP photographer, I have many opportunities to capture a key component of that engineering marvel: the CAP pumping plants. To most people, these plants all look the same, but I have found a different way to look at them. As I’ve photographed the different plants, I’ve noticed how light strikes the structures at different times of the day, how sun and shadow and moonlight illuminate each differently, how composition and framing in a photograph can take concrete and brick and make it look like art.

So here are some of my favorite shots of CAP’s pumping plants. My personal top two are San Xavier Pumping Plant, with the streaks of light from a water truck driving through the frame, and Picacho Pumping Plant. The mountains that run up to the plant and the curves in the canal make it easy to find an interesting angle. I also wish I had shot the rainbow over Sandario Pumping Plant, but credit for that image goes to fellow CAP employee John Officer, one of our dedicated plant professionals.