Strong river runoff impacting businesses

There are signs that the wet and snowy winter season in Arizona is starting to have an impact on the state's lakes and rivers.

The Verde River, which snakes around Cottonwood and winds some 170 miles from Northern Arizona to the Salt River, is now running at levels and speeds not seen in the past several years.

For some, the roaring Verde River is good news, because it flushes the river of debris, which will be good for the environment.

That same roaring river, however, has forced some people, like Dylan Anderson, to change plans. Anderson is a river guide, and his company gives river tours on the Verde. Anderson has had to cancel river tours this week, because of the strong runoff.

"We got to see it at about 2,000 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) on Thursday," said Anderson. 100 CFS is the norm, according to Anderson.

The strong flow means the Verde is too dangerous for most to raft. Anderson is using the unexpected downtime to get things ready for a time when tours can resume.