When state climatologist Michael Anderson looks into California’s water year ahead, he says the crystal ball is cloudy. But for the Golden State, with its unpredictable swings from dry to wet and back again, El Niño doesn’t guarantee heavy rainfall.Īnd as California’s water managers plan for the water year ahead, they’re faced, as always, with their dueling responsibilities: forestalling floods while preparing for possible scarcity in a state where water supplies are often stretched thin and long droughts are common. The wet season has arrived in California, with El Niño conditions projected to continue strengthening. Most of California’s large reservoirs are operated for flood control as well as water storage, with space kept empty to rein in winter storm runoff. Yet healthy water levels don’t mean California’s reservoirs are full. In late 2022, bathtub rings of dry earth lined lakes that had collectively dipped to about two-thirds of average - until heavy winter storms in January filled many of them almost to the brim. It’s a big departure from a year ago: The state’s major reservoirs - which store water collected mostly from rivers in the northern portion of the state - are in good shape, with levels at 124% of average. As forecasts tease California with rainstorms this week, the state’s reservoirs are already flush with water.
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