South Bay reservoirs are handling the recent rain quite well due in part to a delicate dance water managers have been doing to make sure they catch as much water as possible.
"Things are looking great," Santa Clara Valley Water District spokesperson Matt Keller said. "Our local reservoirs, they look good."
To make room for future storms, Valley Water has been strategically releasing water from reservoirs, which is part of the reason why the county average for reservoir capacity right now is only 50%.
"It’s a real balancing act," Keller said. "We have to be aware of the potential for more storms. As we see these more storms come in, sometimes we do releases to make room in our reservoirs for that new water and that new runoff that’s coming in."
Valley Water said the winter rain so far still isn't enough to call off the drought emergency.
"We really have to wait until after the wet season is over to have a full look at our water supply and what we have for the next year," Keller said.
The Sierra snowpack is also looking robust. Experts say the hope now is that the Sierra stays cold for the next few weeks to keep the snowpack intact. The goal is for the snowpack to begin melting in mid-spring in time for the runoff to refill the reservoirs again.
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