Long before Maricopa became a fast-growing city, Electrical District No. 3 was formed to solve a basic problem for rural Pinal County: getting electricity to farms and communities that private utilities were reluctant to serve. 

Arizona lawmakers passed an Electrical District Act in 1922 to help rural, agricultural communities obtain power. Four years later, on Jan. 5, 1926, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors completed the formation of ED3, with boundaries covering about 87,000 acres. 

The district’s early purpose was practical. Electricity powered irrigation pumps, helping farmers move water to their fields, while also bringing power to homes and small businesses. Reliable electricity was especially important in an agricultural region where pumping water was essential to farming. 

In 1930, a major expansion brought power lines to Maricopa and western Casa Grande. About 60 workers built extension lines and a substation 18 miles south of Maricopa. The project’s estimated cost was $500,000. The lines also supplied Electrical District No. 4, which served Picacho, Eloy and Toltec. 

ED3’s role continued to evolve. In 1960, the district entered an agreement to purchase electrical facilities from Arizona Public Service and, by 1961, owned its transmission and distribution system within its service area. 

Then Maricopa’s growth brought a new challenge. As the city’s population climbed from about 1,000 in 2002 to more than 51,000 in 2008, ED3 doubled its substations and added hundreds of miles of overhead and underground power lines. 

This story first appeared in the November issue of InMaricopa.