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Latest Rainstorm Puts Water Level Closer To Normal

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Latest Rainstorm Puts Water Level Closer To Normal

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― More rain is helping to bring Northern California closer to normal levels of rainfall for the year, but it may not be enough to ease drought conditions across the region, water agency officials said Monday.

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Another round of rain moved across the Bay Area Monday, with scattered light showers in the forecast for the rest of the week.

The next chance of significant rainfall is Saturday, but National Weather Service meteorlogist Brian Tentinger said that rainfall should be less than this past weekend's precipitation.

"We're in an active pattern that helps but we need a lot over a long period of time," Tentinger said.

The North Bay saw some of the heaviest rain, with some Sonoma County cities, including Santa Rosa, reporting nearly three inches of rain between midnight Sunday and 10 a.m. Monday.

Angwin in Napa County got 4.40 inches, while Mount St. Helena received 5.55 inches and Napa got 1.83 inches. In Marin County, the Olema Valley received 4.46 inches, the Inverness area got 5.68 inches and San Rafael got 3.42 inches.
 
The Santa Cruz Mountains also saw heavy rainfall with totals in Ben Lomond of 5.79 inches and in Boulder Creek of 3.86 inches.

Oakland received 1.53 inches and San Francisco got 1.25 inches, Tentinger said. But rain was sparse in the East Bay — in Concord 0.88 inches fell and Livermore got 0.41 inches.

The heavy weekend rainfall in Sonoma County was blamed for the death of a woman, 49-year-old Paula Jean Kuhle of Freestone, who was struck by a falling oak tree while walking along Freestone Flat Road.
 
Some Bay Area residents also reported mudslides, flooded roads and standing water. Among them was a San Pablo neighboorhood in Contra Costa County that was overcome by water Sunday for the second time in less than a month.

The National Weather Service said after the weekend drenching that the state's rainfall total through Sunday night stood at 90 percent of normal.
 
Still even with the recent downpour, water supply experts cautioned that the region still needs plenty of more rain before the area lakes and reservoirs return to normal levels.

Brad Sherwood, spokesman for the Sonoma County Water Agency, said rain is needed in the Ukiah area so Lake Mendocino's level rises. Water from the lake that flows into the Russian River is key to supplying the agency's nearly 800,000 customers in Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties.

Ukiah received less than an inch of rain in the past 24 hours and Lake Mendocino is at 44 percent capacity, Sherwood said. Last year at this time the lake was at 90 percent capacity, he said.

Santa Rosa has received 63 percent of its normal rainfall since the water measurement year began July 1, 2008 Sherwood said.

The water agency anticipated about 7 inches of rain would fall near Lake Mendocino in February and March but the agency still planned to reduce water deliveries to the cities and water districts it serves by at least 30 percent, Sherwood said. Customers should still expect water rationing of 30 percent by this summer, he said.

The rain so far this month shriveled forecasts a 50 percent reduction of water deliveries could be needed, Sherwood said.

"We're still catching up from a very dry January. This is the third consecutive dry year and we need more rain like this through the spring," Sherwood said.

Susan Siravo, spokeswoman for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, said that area has received about 90 percent of its normal rainfall so far. Reservoirs are at 53.8 percent capacity, she said. They were at 44 percent 10 days ago.

The recent rains will help but not as much as people might think, Siravo said.

"We still have to conserve. We're coming off two dry years and are not able to capture and store as much water as we should," Siravo said.

Fifty percent of the district's water supply comes from the Sierra snowpack and the district expects to receive only one-third from that source, Siravo said.

"If it continues to rain consistently over the next six weeks, we will still have a lot less water coming in from the Delta, so we're still in a difficult situation," Siravo said.

The district supplies water to cities and water companies that serve 1.8 million people in the Santa Clara Valley, Siravo said.

Charles Hardy, spokesman for the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the recent rain helped but the district is more concerned with rain and snowfall in the Mokelumne Watershed 92 miles away.

The snowpack is 70 percent of normal and its water content is only 50 percent, Hardy said.

"We need average rainfall. We're still at 76 percent of normal. It was 69 percent 10 days ago," Hardy said.

Last year precipitation was 120 percent of the average with heavy rain in January and near flooding in February. Then, only three inches of rain fell in March, April and May, Hardy said.

"We're not in as good shape as last year. We have a long way to go to be out of the woods," Hardy said.

EBMUD enacted 15 percent mandatory water conservation on May 13, Hardy said.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)

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