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Arizona’s Current Historic Drought May Be ‘Baseline for the Future’

/in , , /by /Cronkite Newsby Alyssa Marksz

Arizona and other Western states just lived through the driest year in more than a century, with no drought relief in sight in the near future, experts told a House panel Tuesday.

The period from last April to this March was the driest in the last 126 years for Arizona and other Western states, witnesses said. It caps a two-decade stretch that was the driest in more than 100 years that records have been kept – and one of the driest in the past 1,200 years based on paleohydrology evidence, one official said.

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Salt And Verde Rivers Found To Be More Drought Resistant Than The Colorado River

/in , /by /KJZZ Arizonaby Steve Goldstein

A major water source for the Valley is considerably more drought resistant than previously thought. New research shows the water that flows into the Salt and Verde rivers is four times less sensitive to climate change than the Colorado River. The Show spoke with Bo Svoma, a scientist and meteorologist with the Salt River Project, about the significance of the new findings.

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Study says Phoenix Reservoirs are Resilient to Warming, Scientists Warn Risks Remain

/in , /by /Arizona Republicby Ian James

Scientists have found that climate change is playing a big role in shrinking the flow of the Colorado River, but recent research suggests Arizona’s reservoirs on the Salt and Verde rivers could fare better as temperatures continue to rise.

The findings back the assurances of water managers at Salt River Project that their system of reservoirs appears to be relatively resilient in the face of climate change.

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Groundwater Aquifers Can Expect A Boost From March Rains

/in , , /by /Fronterasby Bret Jaspers

March rain has left Salt River Project reservoirs as full as they’ve been in a decade. The company is discharging water to make room for the runoff, providing a boost to the underlying aquifers.

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