Salt River Project has increased water releases from its two Verde River reservoirs, adding to the flow that already has closed several Valley roads.

A series of warm, late winter storms prompted Tuesday’s action in an effort for the Tempe-based utility to create available storage capacity and “ensure dam and public safety,” officials said in a release.

“Because of this week’s warm storms, the snow on the watershed is continuing to melt and make its way into the Verde reservoirs, which are already 83% full,” they said.

SRP began low-level releases of water on March 2.

Starting Tuesday, March 21, releases were increased 16,000 cubic feet per second, or 120,000 gallons per second.

SRP projects releases as great as 30,000 cfs may be necessary later in the week.

Recent SRP snow surveys have determined that snowpack on the 13,000-square-mile watershed that replenishes the Verde River reservoirs is the deepest it has been in 30 years.

There are more than 500,000-acre feet of water in the snowpack on the Verde River watershed, according to SRP.

Water releases from the Verde River are expected to continue at least through April.

Several roads located in the East and West Valley that were built in the normally dry Salt River riverbed will be closed, according to an SRP release.