PHOENIX (AP) — Recent flooding in the U.S. Southwest is bringing rare relief to thirsty reservoirs that had fallen to record lows amid a years-long megadrought.
WATCH: How the West is preparing for a drier future as water supplies hit record lows
Storms in late October and early November sent torrents of water into normally small or dry streams that overflowed and flooded local communities.
Hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate and flooding cut off access to some areas. Still, most of that water will end up feeding depleted lakes and underground aquifers, said Martin Hoerling, a climate scientist and hydrologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“It’s kind of an unexpected boost from Mother Nature,” Hoerling said.
Last winter’s lackluster snowfall did little to recharge bodies of water as they melted in the spring and summer, when they typically experience their biggest bump of the year.
Then came the chaotic El Niño weather phenomenon, which intensified heavy rains and flooding. Experts say its impacts will last for several more months, potentially further increasing water supplies in the West, where water is primarily stored in lakes, aquifers and the snowpack.
READ MORE: Colorado River plan to cut off water during drought creates uncertainty for cities and farmers
Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the United States, rose more than 20 feet from its mid-September low, eclipsing gains from this year’s snowmelt, Hoerling said. Still, the lake remained just over a quarter full and 15 of its 17 boat ramps remained unusable Friday.
Additional floodwaters and rain could further raise lake levels along the Arizona-Utah border, totaling more than 1.2 million acre-feet, or enough to support about 4 million average families for a year, Hoerling estimated.
Rain brings temporary relief to regional and local water supplies
Cities across the region reported some of the wettest weather in decades.
Before storms began dumping about 7 inches of rain around Pagosa Springs, Colorado, in October, more than 10,000 residents in the town and surrounding communities were under water restrictions. Restaurants were encouraged to serve water only upon request, City Manager David Harris said. These restrictions are now lifted.
“Even though the storm was destructive, I think there is a silver lining,” Harris said. “The winter snowpack starts well in the higher elevations.”
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Upper Lake Mary, which captures spring snowmelt in northern Arizona and supplies Flagstaff, Ariz., with up to 40 percent of its water, has received more than 3 billion gallons of water since early October, said Brian Huntzinger, Flagstaff’s water production manager.
Last weekend’s storms dumped more than two years’ worth of water into the city’s surface water supplies and provided a buffer for an operation that relies heavily on underground aquifers, Huntzinger said.
“It’s just a really beautiful thing to see,” Huntzinger said. “We could overflow at this rate before we see the snow flying.”
In central Arizona, heavy floodwaters that trapped people in their homes flowed into streams that feed the Verde River. That prompted water officials to release water from two nearly full dams into the normally dry stretch of metro Phoenix, said Bo Svoma, the senior meteorologist with the Salt River Project that manages the Salt and Verde river reservoirs.
Wet weather unlikely to change Colorado River decisions
The region remains in drought despite intense rains.
And decisions have already been made to allocate water in the Colorado River basin. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages reservoirs in the West, is unlikely to change its water releases from Lake Powell or other areas until it knows when the snowpack has peaked, usually around April, said Jack Schmidt, a professor at Utah State University who studies the Colorado River.
READ MORE: Lake Powell Reaches Record Level, Threatening Water and Power Supplies for Millions
Reclamation spokeswoman Mary Carlson acknowledged that conditions have improved, but added that “considerable uncertainty remains.”
Under the federal Lower Colorado River Basin Management Plan, California, Nevada and Arizona will collectively reduce their water use by 1.25 million acre feet (about 1.54 billion cubic meters) per year over the next two years. This is enough to fill more than 600,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, with the possibility of greater reductions depending on conditions.
Nevada and Arizona are challenging this project in court.
Some Arizona cities have agreed to fund preliminary work to reduce their reliance on the Colorado River by expanding an existing dam on the Verde River to capture storm runoff, Svoma said.
“We need to figure out how to be resilient in a drier future. And we’re not there yet,” Hoerling said.
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