SRP's largest reservoir is currently at 101 percent capacity, prompting storage restrictions that require the release of water into the Salt River through the Valley because the lake is now too full.
     With the four reservoirs along the Salt River all nearly full, additional precipitation or runoff from melting snow could soon bring the elevation of Roosevelt Lake into uncharted territory - and with it a third consecutive runoff year of excess water releases into the normally-dry Salt River.
     Roosevelt Lake is currently over its maximum conservation-storage capacity and peaked at an all-time high elevation of 2051.74 as of March 12.
     To make room for more expected runoff, releases at Roosevelt have reached 5,500 cubic feet of water per second (cfs). According to Charlie Ester, SRP's manager of Water Resources, that's enough water to fill two average size swimming pools every two seconds. Ester predicts Valley residents will see water releases in the Salt River at least through April and possibly into May this year. Snowpack on the 13,000-square-mile watershed that replenishes the SRP's reservoirs on the Salt and Verde rivers is the deepest it's been in nearly two decades, according to SRP meteorologist James Walter. Walter says 11 of the 15 remote Snotel monitoring sites on the watershed have measured record snow levels.
     Since Jan. 21, more than 418,320 acre-feet of water has been spilled into the Salt River channel below Granite Reef Diversion Dam to make room for incoming runoff. One acre-foot of water is equal to 325,851 gallons. The winter runoff season is measured from Jan. through May. SRP's reservoir system is currently about 99 percent full.