Valley WeatherTop story
Record fall storms send the Salt River rushing through Tempe
This fall's SRP release tops the spring 2023 release
Sources: AZ Family, azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Spring 2023 release | 277K gal/sec |
| Nov. 2026 release | 403K gal/sec |
If you cross the Salt River near Tempe this week, you'll see water where there's usually gravel. After days of rain, SRP increased releases to about 54,000 cubic feet per second, or 403,000 gallons per second, from Bartlett and Stewart Mountain dams. SRP says it's the biggest flood on the Salt and Verde rivers since 1993.
SRP senior hydrologist Jacob Richardson said this much rain on the watershed is "something like once in every 150 years." The water is up for grabs by cities, farmers and irrigation companies, and it will help recharge aquifers. For wildlife, it's a mixed bag: some riverbed plants will get scoured out, while coyote willow and Goodding's willow bend, then pop back up.
- Tempe Town Lake: closed, with no return date for boaters
- Flows: falling as of Wednesday night
- Lake Powell: up nearly 14 feet since Oct. 1
SRP's floodgate releases are rare: 2019, 2023 and now
- Spring '19SRP opens the floodgates.
- Spring '23SRP spills 277,000 gallons per second from Verde River dams.
- Nov. 2SRP expects increased releases to reach the Valley by 6 p.m.
- Nov. 4Flows are falling, with no date set for boaters to return.
