PHOENIX — A rainy October and early November filled Salt River Project reservoirs with about 120 billion gallons of water, pushing the system from 53% full to 70% full in less than a week, KTAR News reported.
Most of that water went into Roosevelt Lake, which rose 22 feet during the runoff, according to SRP. Senior hydrologist Stephen Flora said flows on the Salt and Verde rivers were among the highest since 1993.
At their peak, flows into Roosevelt Lake on the Salt River topped about 145,000 cubic feet per second, while the Verde River carried about 94,000 cubic feet per second, SRP said.
“We were able to capture all of that … store that, put it to use for the Valley here into the future,” Flora told KTAR.
The runoff was more than the smaller Verde reservoirs could hold, Flora said, and releases sent water downstream, where much of it is helping recharge the aquifer. SRP said a proposed expansion of Bartlett Dam would double the Verde system’s storage; the project is in feasibility and environmental review and could take 10 to 15 years and cost up to about $3.7 billion if Congress approves it.
Flora cautioned that long-term drought conditions remain despite the wet month.
More moisture may be on the way. Arizona’s Family forecasters said an area of low pressure pushing through northern Mexico could bring a few showers and thunderstorms Friday, with the best chances in Southern Arizona and light showers possible in the Valley.
A separate system Saturday is expected to bring higher rain chances to Northern Arizona and around a 30% chance of showers in the Valley, with highs in the low 70s, according to the forecast. Rainfall amounts look light.
Before that, Veterans Day and Thursday are expected to be sunny and warm, with Valley highs of 84 and 86 degrees. Another, colder storm could arrive Monday night into Tuesday, possibly dropping highs into the 60s by midweek.
Sources: KTAR News, Arizona’s Family. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
