Our Reservoirs Runneth Over

You may not like the recent rains, but you'll probably like being able to water your lawn as much as you like this summer.

The March storms have helped fill up East Bay Municipal Utility District reservoirs that were already brimming from our wet winter.

As of Monday, the district's Pardee Reservoir was at 101 percent capacity. That means it's full... before there has been any significant melting of the heavy Sierra snowpack.

The Camanche Reservoir is at 79 percent, with EBMUD increasing its release of water there. The district's East Bay reservoirs are at 94 percent of their capacity.

Overall, the district's reservoir are sitting at 108 percent of average for this time of year.

The reason is simple.

The district's East Bay watersheds have received more than 24 inches of rain so far this season. That's 103 percent of average. In the past 10 days, the region has received 3.5 inches of rain. Normal for this time of year is 1.3 inches.

The Mokelumne Basin has received almost 53 inches of rain this season. That's 136 percent of average. In the past 10 days, it has received almost 8 inches of rain. Normal is 2.3 inches.

The snow depth at Caples Lake in the Sierra is 135 inches. That's more than 11 feet. It's also 177 percent of average.

The snow's water content there is 38.6 inches. That's 152 percent of average.

At this time, EBMUD officials have no plans for any kind of rationing. The district board, however, will discuss a proposal next month to raise water rates.