Tempe Town Lake pushes back buoys, adds quarter-mile of water surface

PHOENIX – Officials are hoping more Tempe Town Lake will mean more revenue after extending usable water space at the downtown reservoir.

Western buoy lines moved closer to the Elmore Pedestrian Bridge near the arts center has added a quarter-mile of water for recreation.

The city said in a post Tuesday thousands of people used the lake for boating yearly, including parks and rec classes, canoe and boat clubs, kayakers and paddleboarders.

The additional boating space could attract more regattas to Tempe Town Lake, which, in turn, would create more hotel bookings and tourism revenue.

It was the second time in the past year the water area has been extended.

In 2018, the eastern buoys were moved almost a half-mile to accommodate more water activity.

The lake hosts the Dragon Boat Festival, Desert Sprints Regatta for rowers, triathlons and at least 30 other events annually.

The lake opened in 1999, part of the renovation of Tempe Beach Park.

Olympic rowers Henrick Rummel and Seth have trained for the 2020 Summer Games at the East Valley site.

The lake’s two-year dam replacement work earned project of the year from the American Society for Civil Engineers in 2017.

Related

Tempe Town Lake to extend usable area by almost half a mileArizona Dragon Boat Festival returns to Tempe Town Lake for 14th seasonLive updates for Arizona’s 2026 midterm primaries: Latest voter numbersElection changes could lead to quicker results in Maricopa County, Adrian Fontes says3 defendants sentenced to years in prison in Arizona meth trafficking caseMain roadway between Maricopa and metro Phoenix reopens after fatal incident