Recent heavy rain and stormy weather raised water levels in some of our region’s key reservoirs.
The Salinas Reservoir provides drinking water to the city of San Luis Obispo, and before the winter storm hit, it was a little more than 80% full. By the end of the week, it had filled up to over 100%.
Meanwhile, in Santa Barbara County, reservoirs also gained several feet of water.
Lake Cachuma rose by 15 feet, going from 737 feet on December 22 to 752 feet by December 27.
Matt Griffin, the Engineering Manager for Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, said this influx is good for the local water supply.
“We balance that with flood control,” he said. “So we want the rain, we just don't want it all at once.”
In September, the California Department of Water Resources said the state would see extreme weather swings in the new water year ahead. A DWR press release said that as the climate gets hotter and drier, that “...the precipitation that California does receive will arrive in stronger storms, increasing the risk from flooding.”
The Central Coast is especially drought prone. However, KSBY Meteorologist Vivian Rennie said the region was officially drought-free as of last month.
