After two productive winters, SRP reservoirs are expected to be near capacity this spring as the Valley enters the heaviest-use period of the year. As of today, the Salt River system is 96% full; the Verde River System is 70% full and the total reservoir system is 93% full.
“SRP continually plans for drought every year, and productive winters like this one make the job so much easier. Our research shows we will continue to see wetter wet periods along with drier dry periods,” said Tim Skarupa, senior manager of SRP Watershed Management. “The infrastructure currently in place, along with the water supply projects being evaluated, will enhance an already resilient system. ”
Throughout the year, SRP releases water from the dams on the Salt and Verde rivers into a series of canals to meet the water needs of the Valley. These releases also aim to balance water conservation while addressing flood risks.
SRP monitors the watershed and reservoir system continuously to ensure there is adequate storage space available to manage the snowmelt from the watershed.
Unlike the Colorado River System, which is facing severe shortages due to the drought and a structural deficit where annual demand exceeds annual runoff, the water supply provided by Salt and Verde rivers is in near equilibrium with SRP’s annual demand. This makes the SRP Reservoir system resilient through wet and dry years.
SRP is working on increasing the storage capacity for the Verde River reservoir system over the next decade to capture and put to use more flood water in wet periods like we experienced in the winter of 2023.
A group of 23 partners, including tribal, agricultural, and municipal organizations have committed to support the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation feasibility study of options to modify Bartlett Dam in order to provide a renewable water resource to areas outside of SRP’s water service territory.
In addition, SRP is working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate options that would allow SRP and partners to extend the release period for water in the Roosevelt Dam flood control space. This would allow SRP and its partners more time after the runoff season to put the water to beneficial use or to store it underground for later use, rather than releasing it into the Salt River bed.
About SRP
SRP is a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers. SRP provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals and irrigation laterals.
