Marianne Favro

Storms Leave Bay Area Reservoirs Above Capacity, Spilling Over

The recent storms have created a lot of concern and catastrophe in the Bay Area.

An example comes in Los Gatos, where a 100-foot tall eucalyptus tree slammed down next to Lisa Gonowski's house.

"We are sleeping in our living room because of these huge eucalyptus tree," she said.

But the storm has also reduced worries about our water supply.

Last summer you could see the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir. Today it is nearly full because of the storms.

In addition, the Lexington, Coyote and Uvas reservoirs are above capacity and spilling over.

"Our reservoirs are 162 percent of normal for this time of year," said Marty Grimes, spokesman for Santa Clara Valley Water District.

The water supply has improved so much that the district on Tuesday night will consider easing the 20 percent water conservation goal.

The Bay Area has received so much rain there is now a new problem.

"Now we are releasing water for flood protection," Grimes said.

Other positive impacts from the storms include the area's groundwater supply is significantly up. The same can be said about our state reservoirs and snow pack.

Overall, the gray days of January have left us with a much brighter water future.

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