Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Uvas Reservoir is beyond full with water gushing down the spillway. It started overflowing Wednesday.
The reservoir in Morgan Hill holds more than 3.2 trillion gallons of water and is now at 101 percent capacity. That's shocking to Cookie Bell of Gilroy who was at the reservoir just a few days ago.
"I was shocked to see such dramatic changes," Bell said. "Now the picnic table I usually sit on is under several yards of water, I'd need to swim to it."
The overflow rushing over the banks is headed to Uvas creek, then Gilroy and onto Monterey Bay. The water remaining in the reservoir will help benefit our groundwater, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District's overall water supply.
"The increase in supply definitely helps drinking water for next year so we can store it in the future in case we might have a drought," said Kristen O'Kane, Field Operations Manager for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
The water supply may benefit but the overflow may pose a concern for people living downstream.
A section of Thousand Trails R.V. Park flooded in March 2011, the last time Uvas Reservoir was full. Water rushed over the bridge leading into the park and people living on the other side were trapped for hours.
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The water district has already warned park owners water is Uvas is overflowing. The district also notified the manager at Uvas pines RV park.
"When the creek started to swell we brought in the picnic table because thats the first thing to float if the flooding gets really bad," park manager Robert Caputo said.
Since Friday, the storm dumped an additional 5.8 billion gallons into the district's 10 reservoirs.
