Nearly every major reservoir in California is above 80% capacity, with some even at 100%.
In a normal year, about 40% of California's water supply is stored groundwater, and more than 80% of Californians use it, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Groundwater is the water that is a buffer in the years the state is in drought. For the first time since 2019, the agency reports groundwater storage increased during the 2023 water year, which is great, but the state's groundwater is still in deficit.
In an emailed response to NBC 7, the agency sent the following, in part:
"Long-term groundwater storage remains in a deficit of nearly 40 million acre-feet over the past two decades, due in part to years of pumping out more water than has been replenished. It would take nearly five consecutive above-average, not just average, water years like 2023 to fill that gap."
The back-to-back wet winters have resulted in a major boost for the state's major reservoirs.
"From year to year, it’s been a while since we’ve had back-to-back and above-normal years," Molly White, operations manager of the State Water Project Water, said.
White says it was a slow start to the water year, which begins on Oct. 1. But as the winter months continued, the rain and snow delivered across the state resulted in an impact on not just the state's water supply but agriculture and recreational needs, too, she said.
"More importantly, it provides storage for many of those reservoirs to carry over to meet needs for next year, should next year be dry as well," White said.
Northern California is where parts of Southern California get imported water. White says this summer is when water from Northern California will begin to move south to meet water demands for the season.
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The San Diego County Water Authority told NBC 7 they purchase water from the Metropolitan Water District. The water comes from the Bay Delta, a 1,000-square-mile area of islands and waterways where the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers converge. However, the agency says that in 2023, water from Northern California only made up 1% of the agency's water use.
This year, the agency says that number is less than 1%. The agency shared that because of ample rainfall and local conservation efforts, the county has enough water to meet the region's water needs for the remainder of the year and the foreseeable future.
Sweetwater Authority, a retail agency within the SDCWA, told NBC 7 they rely very little on imported water. Historically, that's how Sweetwater has always done it, according to general manager Carlos Quintero, with drought years being the exception, such as in 2022.
"Our surface water provides about 50% of our water and our two groundwater sources provide the other half," Quintero said.
The agency services around 200,000 customers across West Chula Vista, National City and other parts of the county.
"Our average supply per year is about 17,000 acre feet, so we take about 8,500 per year from surface water, so this means with the water we have, we can continue to supply our customers for about five years. This is in addition to the groundwater sources," Quintero said.
While the water levels can supply customers for a half-decade, Quintero says there's no telling if next year's water year will be as promising.
"What we need to do is be ready and prepared, and that’s what we always try to do," Quintero said.
