You don’t have to be a meteorologist to know we had a dry winter. Below-average precipitation means reduced snowpack, which means less water in rivers, streams and reservoirs.

In fact, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Phoenix, which tracks these things, reports the Salt and Verde Rivers are running at about 22 percent of their normal flow. That’s about a quarter of where the two main Central Arizona rivers should be this time of year.

Dino DeSimone is the Water Supply Specialist at the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Phoenix.