Storm WatchTuesday, November 3
Tempe Town Lake is closed to boating as SRP sends storm water down the Salt River
The Good Day Gilbert team
If you were planning a paddle or a row on Tempe Town Lake, hold off. Tempe closed the lake to all on-water recreation until further notice while SRP releases water from regional reservoirs. The closure covers paddle boating, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, rowing and sailing. Parks around the lake stay open, and fishing is still allowed.
54,000cubic feet per second released from Bartlett and Stewart Mountain dams
That's 403,000 gallons per second, according to SRP.
Source: AZ Family
SRP increased releases from Bartlett and Stewart Mountain dams to store water safely and protect the dams and the public. SRP said the larger releases should arrive by 6 p.m. Monday and last several days, and several roads built in the normally dry riverbed will close. A National Weather Service flood warning for Maricopa County stays in effect until the afternoon of Nov. 7.
- Verde inflows, October and November: likely highest since 1972
- Compared with average: about eight times greater
- Tempe Town Lake's dam: working as designed, the city says
- Lake staff: check conditions daily, reopen once it's safe
It's a rare fall release. SRP typically releases water in spring, when winter snowmelt becomes runoff, but unusual storms last week, likely due to El Niño, changed that.
SRP's larger releases arrive Monday, and the flood warning runs until Nov. 7
- Nov. 1Tempe closes Tempe Town Lake to on-water recreation until further notice
- Nov. 2SRP said the larger releases should arrive by 6 p.m.
- Nov. 7The National Weather Service flood warning stays in effect until the afternoon
Sources: KTAR News 92.3 FM, AZ Family, 12News