After winter storms recently dumped record snow and rain on the Salt and Verde River watersheds, the Salt River Project is releasing water from reservoirs to make room for future runoff. 

SRP called this winter’s storms a "welcome sight," saying more runoff contributed to the Salt and Verde reservoirs from two days in February than the entire previous runoff season.

As a result, two reservoirs on the Verde River, Bartlett Lake and Horseshoe Lake, are filling up. SRP is releasing water over the Granite Reef Diversion Dam into the Salt River, something that hasn’t happened since 2017.

Salt River Project officials say this will allow for additional runoff expected this Spring. In the meantime, groundwater pumping has been temporarily halted thanks to the stormy weather.