Winter Water Update
How wet was this winter, and how did it affect the water supply here in the valley? The answer is not as wet as last year. The Salt River Project (SRP) supplies the electricity for the Phoenix East Valley through a series of dams on the Salt River system. I am sharing some slides from their spring Board of Directors presentation. Monsoon season (June through September) usually produces the majority of the annual rainfall in Arizona.
So, the rest of the year (October through May, known as the Water Year), is of most interest to SRP because the dam reservoirs need to be adequately filled to produce enough power for the valley through those historically dryer months. These reservoirs are filled by moisture (snowfall and rain) in the mountains well-east of Phoenix. This first slide shows the cumulative precipitation from October through the end of February for the watershed areas above the reservoirs in the SRP system. As you can see, precipitation was well below last year’s historic totals and slightly below normal. The second slide shows the reservoir levels for the Salt River basin (blue) and the Verde River basin (yellow). However, it is worth noting that there were a couple significant weather systems in March, which pushed these precipitation totals and reservoir levels higher, and this is not reflected in these slides.
This next slide shows this year’s surface runoff compared to the 30-year median and the planned runoff.
The following slide shows the current reservoir status of the Colorado River basin system.
The Colorado River basin snowpack was significantly above average (163%) for 2023, which is reflected in the rise in Lake Powell and Lake Mead levels in 2024. The total system contents as of the end of February are at 43%, up significantly from the 32% at that time last year. The same March weather systems that hit the SRP basins also impacted the Colorado River watershed, so water levels in the Colorado River reservoir system should rise even further in the months to come. It will take many more years like 2023 and 2024 to get Lake Powell and Lake Mead back to comfortable levels.
Fortunately, AZ only gets about 36% of its water from Lake Mead and only uses a small portion of that, stockpiling the rest in underground aquifers since 1996. The same is happening with a lot of the current runoff from the Salt River.
It is nice to get rain here in the valley, but it is the year-round moisture in those mountains to our east that feeds our power and water systems.
The Kolb Team
Buyer’s Agent
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Pet of the Month
Congratulations to our April Pet of the Month. Meet Westin, our Frisbee loving pup. As you can see, he’s never afraid to get a little dirty retrieving his favorite toy!
If you would like your pet to be featured in our Pet of The Month and win a Chewy gift card for your sweet family member, send a picture of your baby to info@thekolbteam.com and tell us why your fuzzy, furry, feathery, or leathery pet makes you happy! We look forward to seeing all of your awesome pet pics!
Ingredients:
- ⅓ c honey
- ½ c light mayonnaise
- ½ c walnuts, chopped
- 3 cored, unpeeled red or yellow apples, chopped
- 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
- 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained
- 1 c seedless grapes
- 1 c shredded lettuce
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
- Blend honey and mayo until smooth.
- Toss remaining ingredients with lemon juice.
- Stir in honey mixture.
- Refrigerate for a few hours.
Yield: About 7-8- cups
Searching for That Perfect Home?
When looking at pictures online, it can be tricky to figure out the layout of a home. We can help you with that! On our website, you can access the most popular floor plans in Sun Lakes, AZ. Just click the button below!
Test Your Knowledge About Arizona’s Fundamental Facts
Q: Arizona represents what star number on the current American flag?
Q: On what date did Arizona become a state?
Q: Arizona was not the last contiguous state. Is that statement true or false?
Q: Pennsylvania plus what region of the United States could fit inside Arizona’s land mass?
Q: At 113,909 square miles, Arizona ranks what number in the nation when considering size?
Q: Out of all the 50 states, Arizona has the 3rd largest percentage of land designated as Indian lands. True or false?
Scroll Down to See the Answers
Spring Shred-A-Thon
Vendor of the Month
K&R Refrigeration is a family-owned business that has served Sun Lakes and Phoenix’s East Valley for over 35 years. Since 1999, they have been rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau. They know that living in Arizona’s climate means you need to have both your heating and cooling systems ready to fire 365 days a year.
They are a certified Trane dealer, but they also service, repair, and sell all major brands. K&R Refrigeration can help you with an A/C or heating emergency, maintenance, an estimate on a new unit, and indoor air quality concerns. Customers can count on the company for outstanding customer service, quick response times, honesty & quality of work, and affordable pricing & discounts.
- Buyer looking for golf course home with a pool in Oakwood.
- Buyer looking for a home in Sun Lakes CC under $350,000. Ok to do some remodeling.
- Buyer looking for a home on the golf course in Palo Verde.
- Buyer looking for a home in Oakwood with 2 bedrooms plus a den. Wants remodeled and close to the clubhouse.
Recent Real Estate Sales in Sun Lakes
Wondering about your Neighbor’s Home Sales Price? Find out here to see what sold last month. The report is broken down by HOA, address, and floor plan (if the agent listed the model in MLS).
Q: Arizona represents what star number on the current American flag?
A: 48
Q: On what date did Arizona become a state?
A: February 14, 1912
Q: Arizona was not the last contiguous state. Is that statement true or false?
A: False. Arizona was the last contiguous state admitted to the United States.
Q: Pennsylvania plus what region of the United States could fit inside Arizona’s land mass?
A: New England
Q: At 113,909 square miles, Arizona ranks what number in the nation when considering size?
A: 6th
Q: Out of all the 50 states, Arizona has the 3rd largest percentage of land designated as Indian lands. True or false?
A: False. Arizona has the largest percentage.
We Are Proud Supporters of Neighbors Who Care!
Neighbors Who Care strives to improve seniors' lives by promoting independence, dignity, and community. Their committed volunteers enable seniors to live fulfilling lives in their homes for as long as possible, ensuring that they remain active and independent members of the community. Their efforts have resulted in a significant increase in seniors' ability to stay at home, with an average of five times longer than before. Their volunteers help homebound seniors in a 32-square mile service area maintain independence through providing 13 different services such as grocery shopping FOR clients; taking clients so they can shop for themselves; rides to medical appointments; free respite care for caregiver partners; small home repairs; friendly visits; dinner delivery five days a week; and more.
Support for Neighbors Who Care is sourced mostly from individual donations from the community. They also have sponsors for their newsletter The Care Connection, their aging conference Aging Made Easier each January, and also for their Summer Speaker Series, and they receive grants, too. Recruiting volunteers is, by far, their greatest need all year round. Neighbors Who Care makes it very easy to volunteer by offering flexibility and options so each person can choose how often they volunteer, when they volunteer, and what activity they want to do to volunteer. Consider joining our volunteer corps and meet some of the nicest people around who also are among the most appreciative people we know.
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As always, if you or someone you know is considering buying or selling a home,
we are here year-round and would love to help! Visit us online at
TheKolbTeam.com or call 480-809-5759.
