Tempe Town Lake is an artificial "lake" in northern Tempe, Arizona. It is a dammed section of the Salt River, completed in 1999, using inflatable rubber barriers to contain water. It is nearly 2 miles (3 km) long, with an average size of 224 acres (906,000 m³), its average depth is 13 ft (4 m), with a maximum depth of 19 ft (6 m). A park surrounds the area, along with an upperclass office building. The lake is used for practice by the ASU rowing team. The lake has fishing, boating (by permit and by day rental), and the "Rio Salado Cruise". The lake also houses a small marina on the northern shore. Typically the park is the site of the Tempe 4th of July Celebrations.

Fishing

It (was) stocked with Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Sunfish, Tilapia, Carp and Channel Catfish. Rainbow Trout in the winter months.

Dead body

On October 21, 2004, the ASU rowing team spotted the body of 26 year-old Eric Pelton, a resident of Tucson, tangled in a rope (used to mark lanes for rowers) at approximately 6 a.m.

Salt River

For the first time since its construction the 5 ft (1.5 m) eastern dam was lowered, on December 31, 2004. The heavy rains caused 20,000 cubic feet (570 m³) of flow in the Salt River, and water cascaded over the western dam.

The dams were created to handle a flow of 65,000 cubic feet (1,800 m³) per second.

On February 13, 2004, the western dam was lowered from 16 to 1.5 ft (5 to 0.5 m) due to increasing water flow from storms.

Town Lake Bridge

The ValleyMetro Light Rail project will be building another bridge over the Tempe Town Lake, starting in the first quarter of 2005. The overall project will be completed in 2008.