SACRAMENTO – (INT) - California is taking advantage of this winter’s storms to expand its water supplies.

The state will recharge the groundwater aquifers for 1.3 million Californians’ annual usage.

The Santa Anita Dam captured 95% of the storm water runoff to recharge facilities in the San Gabriel River Watershed in Los Angeles County.

And, there’s the potential of more storage. If the Delta Conveyance Project was in effect this year, it could have captured 148 billion gallons of water; the Sites Reservoir could hold enough water to serve 7.5 million people for an entire year.

On a related note, allocation of water in the State Water Project is being stepped up to 15 percent. That’s an improvement from the 10 percent allocation early this year.

Story Date: April 7, 2024