The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s Painted Rock Dam is pictured March 2024 near Gila Bend, Arizona. Most of the year, the reservoir remains dry; however, the last two years have seen an increase of waterflow, potentially raising the risk to the dam’s drainage area of 50,800 square miles. According to USACE records, Painted Rock Dam was built specifically to protect downstream agriculture, Yuma, and other towns and small businesses along the Gila River. (Photo by Robert DeDeaux, USACE Los Angeles District Public Affairs)