California Torrential Pours Now Filling Up Reservoirs After Weeks of Extreme Drought

Due to weeks of heavy rain, California has experienced an increase in water levels in its major reservoirs. This has also led to an improvement in drought conditions across the state. According to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor, the percentage of California experiencing "extreme drought" has decreased significantly, from 27.10% to 0.32%, between January 3rd and January 10th. The rainfall is a welcome change after a dry summer in 2022 for California's water storage systems.

According to Antonia Hadjimichael, an assistant professor in geosciences at Penn State University, over 80 percent of the continental U.S. has been classified as experiencing a drought since the U.S. Drought Monitor was established, making it the highest percentage in history. The largest increases in water level have been observed at Lake Shasta, California's biggest single reservoir in the northern part of the state.

Reservoir's Water Level

Lake Shasta's water level has significantly increased, rising from 921.11 feet above sea level on December 25, 2022, to 973.76 feet on January 15, 2023. This is a significant change, as, on January 9, the lake's water level was 942 feet above sea level. The table below shows the changes in the water level of the state's 15 most voluminous lakes since January 9, measured in feet above average sea level.

Despite that, there are still many reservoirs across the Golden State with lower water levels than they should be for this time of year, even if they are on average for this time. Donald Bader, the Director of the Northern California Area Office for the Bureau of Reclamation, told Newsweek that we are about 80% of where we would normally be on this date. The weather has been within the 60s before, on average, so we're headed in the right direction, but the change in weather is always worrying."

Despite the torrential downpours filling reservoirs, groundwater's depleted water stores do not necessarily indicate that the state will emerge from its drought. Long periods of low precipitation deplete the water supply for plants and increase the likelihood of fires and large-scale tree mortality.

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Essence of Groundwater

According to Daniella Rempe, a hydrologist and geomorphologist at the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas in Austin, who spoke with Newsweek, they also limit the amount of groundwater stored within the landscape.

Groundwater is essential for keeping streams flowing in California during the dry summers. However, during droughts, rainwater that would normally refill the groundwater instead only saturates the top layer of soil, delaying or preventing the groundwater system that supplies streams and reservoirs from being replenished.

Climate change could make it more difficult for California to bounce back from droughts as dry weather becomes more prevalent, according to Jacob Petersen-Perlman, an expert in water resources geography and assistant professor at East Carolina University. However, he also notes that droughts and floods can lead to new regulations and better management practices that can help protect Californians from the worst effects.