The storms that flooded communities across the Southwest over the past two weeks are also refilling some of the region's most depleted reservoirs, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
Lake Powell, the nation's second-largest reservoir, has climbed more than 20 feet since its mid-September low, according to University of Colorado Boulder climate scientist and hydrologist Martin Hoerling. That rise already exceeds what the lake gained from this year's spring snowmelt, which was weak after a poor winter.
Even so, the lake on the Arizona-Utah line was only a little over a quarter full as of Friday, and only two of its 17 boat ramps were usable.
Hoerling estimated that the floodwaters and more rain could add a total of more than 1.2 million acre-feet to the lake, a volume he put at a year's supply for about 4 million typical families. He described the boost to the AP as unexpected, and experts said El Niño's influence could keep feeding Western supplies for months.
Closer to home
In central Arizona, the AP reported, runoff surging into Verde River tributaries led the Salt River Project to let water out of two dams that were close to capacity, sending it down the usually dry riverbed through metro Phoenix. In Flagstaff, Upper Lake Mary has taken in more than 3 billion gallons since early October, the city's water production manager said.
