Most of the time, the Salt River in Phoenix is a lifeless brown trough. Devoid of water, it’s mostly relegated to a wide swath of garbage-strewn gravel under freeway bridges. But not right now.
This week, it’s a powerful, churning vein of water ripping right through the heart of Phoenix.
For days, a rare autumn storm brought heavy rains to the Salt and Verde watersheds, which cover sprawling mountain ranges in northern and eastern Arizona. Major reservoirs in the foothills outside of Phoenix got a boost, and the utility that operates them needed to release some water downstream to keep dams operating safely…