Yuma Siphon (Yuma, Arizona)

 irrigation, siphon (canal)

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The Yuma Siphon was completed in 1912 in order to bring irrigation water to the Yuma area. The inverted siphon design is buried 50 feet under the river bed. Early divers who constructed the siphon were provided air by a single cylinder hand operated air pump.The water was originally diverted at the Laguna Dam and piped under the river in order to bring cleaner water to area. When the Imperial Dam and All American Canal was later completed, the water source for the siphon was changed. This allowed Yuma agriculture to take advantage of the lower salinity of the upstream water, as well as the settling ponds used to remove silt from water diverted to the canal.
From The Yuma Zone Trivia and Oddities website: yumazone.com/Yuma_trivia.htm