The U.S. Department of Interior has approved $8.5 million for the Verde Reservoirs Sediment Mitigation Project Feasibility Study, which could restore water storage loss due to sedimentation in reservoirs that supply water for the Valley.

The Verde River watershed covers nearly 7,000 square miles across central and northern Arizona. Over the last 70 years, the accumulation of natural sedimentation in the Verde River basin has significantly reduced the water storage capacity in the two reservoirs, according to a release from Salt River Project.

The study will examine solutions to address sedimentation and restore lost capacity, including the feasibility of raising Bartlett Dam on the Verde River by up to 102 feet, the release stated.

The project could increase total water storage capacity on the Verde River by 350,000 acre-feet – “more than doubling the ability to capture the highly variable flows of the Verde River and enough water to provide for about a million Arizona households,” officials said.

For more: Bartlett Dam and Reservoir Expansion Project