North Bay reservoirs reach capacity after winter storms, ending drought fears

MILL VALLEY, Calif. (KGO) — After near record rainfall, Marin and Sonoma counties are giving a status report on reservoir levels and the news is encouraging for our water supply.

Alpine Lake on Mt. Tam is spilling over. Cyclists Mik and Logan from San Francisco admit, they’ve never seen so much water here.

“I we’ve been in a drought for a long time, so it’s great to see a lot of water- it’s really beautiful, said Mik Khean.

No drought here. Marin Water says all seven of its reservoirs are now at capacity.

MORE: California has zero areas of dryness for 1st time in 25 years: Drought Monitor

“I think its awesome, we just walked the trails, you had to avoid puddles, that’s been a long time. The spillway is gorgeous,” said Marley Ballard.

She’s right, the spillway from Lake Lagunitas, looking like a waterfall.

Marin Water says the fall and winter rains which brought recent flooding. They have delivered 31 inches of rain to the Tam watershed. During the same period last year, it was 23 inches.

“As long as the skies are sunny and blue, they’ll be holding on to that water to keep reservoirs topped off,” said Stuart Tiffan, from Sonoma Water.

MORE: Bay Area cities above normal rainfall levels, CA snowpack makes massive leap after week of storms

Tiffen says its reservoirs are also at capacity with releases closely monitored to prevent any flooding on the Russian River.

Winter is far from over but it’s never too early to talk conservation.

“Our policy is there’s never enough water to Waste. We’re always in conservation mode, we ask customers to check for leaks, turn off irrigation in winter to keep as much water in those reservoirs,” Tiffan added.

Drought conditions have vanished statewide. Releases are happening at Oroville Dam, the state’s second largest reservoir. It has risen 137 feet since December 20, capturing 300,000-acre-feet of water.

Governor Gavin Newsom saying in a statement, “California’s water strategy is working. We’re not just managing for today’s conditions – we’re building a system that can handle whatever our changing climate throws at us.”