MEDIA ADVISORY
SRP optimistic about this year's runoff
Survey finds deepest snow since early 90s
Snowpack on the 13,000-square-mile watershed that replenishes the Salt River Project's six reservoirs is the deepest it's been in nearly two decades, according to measurements taken recently by a team of SRP hydrologists.
SRP officials regularly check the snow levels in Arizona's high country during the winter to develop seasonal runoff forecasts and provide valuable data for flood-control planning. A visit on Jan. 29 found snowpack levels around 70 inches above 9,000 feet, with snow still present at elevations just below 5,000 feet.
"I've been measuring snowpack for five years, and there is more snow on the watershed than I've ever seen," said James Walter, a meteorologist with SRP. "We haven't experienced conditions like this since the early 1990s."
Because melting snow accounts for as much as 80 percent of the water SRP stores in its lakes along the Salt and Verde rivers, a healthy snowpack means those reservoirs will likely be completely full when runoff season ends around the end of May.
Most of the snow currently on the SRP watershed and across Arizona is the result of an unprecedented storm in late January. The five-day storm (Jan. 18-23) dropped an average of 6.68 inches of precipitation across the watershed that extends from the north central part of the state to near the New Mexico border - 1.72 inches greater than any other five-day period in recorded history.
SRP conducted the snow survey using its Bell 212 helicopter to land in remote locations, including Workman Creek in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness, Hannagan Meadow in the White Mountains and Promontory on the Mogollon Rim. The helicopter was outfitted with skid pads that increase the surface areas of the landing skids and serve the same purpose as snow shoes.
Walter and SRP senior hydrologist Mark Hubble used specially designed snow-sampling tubes to measure snow depth and water content at every stop.
"It's very important that we know the amount of moisture that is contained in the snow," said Hubble. "That information gives us an idea of how water is actually locked up in the snow and how much will come down into the reservoirs when the weather warms up."
The winter runoff season is measured from January through May. SRP's reservoir system is currently about 95 percent full.
SRP is the metropolitan area's largest supplier of water, delivering about 1 million acre-feet to agricultural, urban and municipal water users.
Editors Note: A video of the snow survey is available at www.YouTube.com/srpconnect.
