We needed it. We got it. But did the storm that moved through the region over the weekend really do much to change the South Bay’s bleak water picture?
The answer is yes, but not nearly as much as might be expected.
Almaden Reservoir, an artificial lake in the hills south of San Jose, now stands at 101 percent of capacity, a major improvement from this summer when visitors could see the bottom.
But, despite the 61 million extra gallons of water the recent storm dropped into the reservoir, the South Bay’s overall water picture is still grim.
“We're still behind on our groundwater storage,” said Santa Clara Valley Water District spokesperson Marty Grimes. “Our state reservoirs are low and our snowpack is well below average, so yes, we're glad to see rain but the rain we got is not the end of the drought.”
Calero Reservoir, another artificial lake in the Santa Teresa Hills south of San Jose, is now at 47 percent of capacity.
While that’s an improvement, it’s the region’s groundwater deficit that is the big cause for concern, to the point where in the next month the Valley Water District may call for doubling the current 20 percent water conservation goal.
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The good news is, thanks to the recent rain, the Vasona Reservoir in Los Gatos is now at capacity and the district was able to divert some of the water headed downstream into groundwater recharge ponds.
On the other end of the bay, the Marin Municipal Water District, which does not rely on the Sierra snowpack, is seeing the recent storms paying off in a big way. Combined, all seven Marin reservoirs are at 98 percent capacity, with Phoenix and Alpine Lake full, and water from the Mount Tamalpais watershed is now rushing into spillways.
