Reservoirs, 2017 (San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento: ski resorts, farms, land)

[DougStark]

With this season's heavy snows, is No. Cal's water crisis over?

[NinaN]

Hard to tell because a lot of snow melted in the rain this week, but it's snowing again.

The NoCal water crisis will never be over because the more it rains, the more water they send out of our resevoirs to the delta and SoCal.

[T. Damon]

I've been getting tons of FB posts from my many friends and acquaintances in Northern California from the foothills where I grew up and in the mountains and it is pretty monumental the amount of rain and snow they are getting right now. Even small local streams are all raging torrents and all the hillsides are interspersed with waterfalls. It is nothing that we haven't seen before but it has been several years and certainly it will go a long away to alleviate the drought and fill up the largest reservoirs for the season.

We will still have dry years and water wars in this state but we are getting smarter with our usage and future planning, and it sure is good to see a nice wet storm path hitting us, though there will be flooding and issues to contend with.

[Chimérique]

Update Sacramento News 10 just reported:

Rain: NorCal and Central as far south as Bakersfield show 400-800% of normal. Northern Bay Area and Sacramento area counties showing the highest percentages.

Rain: Orange and San Diego counties 60-85% of normal.

Reservoirs: All in NorCal: Percent of total capacity, from north to south: Shasta 78%; Oroville 69%; Folsom 64%, New Melones 31%; Don Pedro 84%.

Good news..the storm was not as warm as they thought, more snow dropped than anticipated. I think they are going on 10 feet for this round of storms at the ski resorts. Sacramento has received near 6 inches of rain in the last 5 days. All reservoirs are full even in central California, anyone correct me if I'm wrong about the reservoirs south of Sacramento.

American River full, scary looking, Sacramento River, weirs(Sacramento Weir, Yolo Bypass) are being opened to alleviate pressure in Downtown Sac. Century old 100 foot trees are coming down in Sac.

The Consumes River in south Sacramento which has no flood control(no dams) is at flood stage.

Within the Delta small farms and orchards are flooded and private levees are developing boils which could lead to levee failure. Delta Levee roads are inundated.

Sac is getting pounded with rain as we speak, so I'm sure the foothills are too, usually the foothills get almost twice the rain Sac gets. I-80 was closed most of the day today. A bonafide Blizzard warning in effect in Sierra; we have not had a Blizzard warning in over 5-6 years.

[Ruth4Truth]

It will take more than one year of almost normal rain and snow to replenish depleted aquifers, OP. And this level of rain and snow would have to continue in future years. We don't know what's around the corner, but this being a LaNina cycle, it's possible we'll be back to drought after this cycle is finished. We'll see, and hope for the best.

[DougStark]

Well, that's great news (despite related flood damage of course.) I hope the farmers/ orchards can give us a bountiful harvest this spring as a result.

[Sactoslacker]

Sacramento River from yesterday 1/10/17 :





The American River, taken from Guy West bridge with the H st bridge in the distance 1/8/17

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Chimérique

Update Sacramento News 10 just reported:

Rain: NorCal and Central as far south as Bakersfield show 400-800% of normal. Northern Bay Area and Sacramento area counties showing the highest percentages.

Rain: Orange and San Diego counties 60-85% of normal.

Reservoirs: All in NorCal: Percent of total capacity, from north to south: Shasta 78%; Oroville 69%; Folsom 64%, New Melones 31%; Don Pedro 84%.

Good news..the storm was not as warm as they thought, more snow dropped than anticipated. I think they are going on 10 feet for this round of storms at the ski resorts. Sacramento has received near 6 inches of rain in the last 5 days. All reservoirs are full even in central California, anyone correct me if I'm wrong about the reservoirs south of Sacramento.

American River full, scary looking, Sacramento River, weirs(Sacramento Weir, Yolo Bypass) are being opened to alleviate pressure in Downtown Sac. Century old 100 foot trees are coming down in Sac.

The Consumes River in south Sacramento which has no flood control(no dams) is at flood stage.

Within the Delta small farms and orchards are flooded and private levees are developing boils which could lead to levee failure. Delta Levee roads are inundated.

Sac is getting pounded with rain as we speak, so I'm sure the foothills are too, usually the foothills get almost twice the rain Sac gets. I-80 was closed most of the day today. A bonafide Blizzard warning in effect in Sierra; we have not had a Blizzard warning in over 5-6 years.

Can you please explain the Sacramento Bypass? I found it on the map. I believe it is similar to a system near where I grew up in New Orleans called the Bonnet Carre spillway where they lift weirs up in a manual fashion, is that correct? However, I don't see where the overflow leads, it looks like to farms. In New Orleans the Bonnet Carre spillway leads to Lake Pontchartrain.

Also, I can't seem to find the Yolo Bypass, can you please point to it? (GPS coordinates would be best)

[Chimérique]

The Yolo Bypass is flat wetlands, sometimes farmland, its one of the lowest points in the Sacramento Valley, practically sea level. It's between Woodland and the Sacramento River on its north end where I-5 travels above it. I-5 is a north-south interstate, except for this part I-5 travels west/east as a raised bridge-like structure over the bypass.

The Yolo Bypass continues south traveling under another raised bridge-like structure which is I-80 which travels west/east roughly between El Macero/Davis and West Sacramento and the bypass continues south into open flat wetlands and farmlands eventually making it's way to the Delta where the Sacramento River meets the Carquinez Straights which leads to San Pablo Bay and San Francisco Bay.

When opened the Sacramento Weir releases water from the Sacramento River into the Yolo Bypass north of West Sacramento and Downtown Sacramento.

[cBach]

So is the Yolo Bypass a "preserve" or land that can never be undeveloped due to being in a flood plain?