Rain's Effect On Drought Debated
Some Reservoirs Look Better Than Others
POSTED: 8:20 pm PST February 15,
2005
UPDATED: 8:31 pm PST February 15,
2005
SAN DIEGO -- Rainfall for the season is already more than double normal levels, but is it enough to make a dent in the region's drought?
While the county received heavy rainfall this season, some city reservoirs are still below average, NBC 7/39 reported. Barrett Dam is at 43 percent capacity, Sutherland at 35 percent and El Capitan Reservoir is just over half full.
"The storms fell mostly on North County up until last weekend, so we had a lot of the rainfall happening in the northern part of the county and those reservoirs in the southern part of the county did not benefit as much," Ken Weinberg, of the San Diego County Water Authority.Still, snow pack is much better than in past years and the Colorado River is looking good, Weinberg said. Several reservoirs, including Lower Otay and Lake Hodges and are filled to nearly 88 percent capacity.San Diego County gets about 10 percent of its water from local sources during a normal season, and about 5 percent during a dry season, NBC 7/39 reported.A new storm is expected to hit San Diego, bringing with it ¼inch to 1 inch of rain at the coast, reported NBC 7/39's Whitney Southwick. The rain is expected to last until Saturday.
While the county received heavy rainfall this season, some city reservoirs are still below average, NBC 7/39 reported. Barrett Dam is at 43 percent capacity, Sutherland at 35 percent and El Capitan Reservoir is just over half full.Copyright 2005 by NBCSandiego.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.






