Brittle Bush Blooms Near A Full Lake

Roosevelt Lake is considered "at capacity" under federal rules when the water level reaches 2,151 feet above sea level. At that level, Roosevelt Dam and reservoir still could hold almost 1.8 million acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons of water. When full, Roosevelt Lake covers more than 17,000 acres near the confluence of Tonto Creek and the Salt River. Located approximately 85 miles NE of Phoenix, this desert lake has a maximum depth of 350 feet. Brittle Bush, a relative of the sunflower and delicacy of desert Bighorn sheep and mule deer, blooms on south-facing hillsides around the lake. Sonoran desert trees include Palo Verde and Mesquite. The "north slope" of the AZ's Superstition Mountains rise in the distance. April 9, 2009