Salt River Project officials say the Valley’s water outlook is steady, even as the utility’s reservoir system sits at roughly half capacity and key lakes look noticeably lower than last year.
What the numbers show
As of Tuesday, SRP’s daily water report listed the Salt and Verde systems at about 55% of conservation storage, with Roosevelt Lake sitting at roughly 45%. That is a clear drop from a year earlier, when the system was at 68% on the same date, according to SRP Watershed Connection. The same report shows inflows are well below normal for this time of year, which helps explain the slide from 2025 levels.
SRP’s assessment
SRP hydrologists describe the situation as manageable, but not entirely risk free. As reported by KTAR News, SRP senior hydrologist Jake Richardson said the system is “about half full” and estimated the reservoirs would hold roughly a year and a half of water if inflows stopped altogether.
How SRP buffers shortages
The utility leans on a portfolio approach that blends surface storage, groundwater and partnerships with cities and the Central Arizona Project. Per SRP, the agency operates roughly 270 high capacity wells that can supply nearly half of SRP’s deliveries in drought conditions, and managers adjust pumping and releases to stretch stored water.
Where this sits historically
SRP has seen much leaner years. Reporting by KTAR News notes the SRP system dropped to roughly 25% of capacity during the early 2000s drought, a memory that still shapes current planning. SRP senior hydrologist Stephen Flora has also pointed out that when the seven reservoir system is full it represents roughly three years’ worth of Valley demand, a buffer he described in an interview with FOX 10 Phoenix.
What to watch next
Managers will be watching snowpack and runoff forecasts in the high country, and SRP says it will use remote measurements and routine streamflow monitoring to time releases and pumping. As ABC15 reported, those measurement tools, combined with groundwater options and continued conservation, are the levers officials say will keep water flowing through the Valley even if this spring stays stubbornly dry.
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