In summary

A series of storms has dumped immense amounts of water on California, but the state needs some new plumbing to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water – 1.2 million gallons – was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

 Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta smelt.

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San Joaquin Valley legislators have beseeched President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively meager diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

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The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — The Valley Air District announced Wednesday that it can provide up to $5,000 to certain residents who are upgrading their home heating and air conditioning systems.

The county is offering residents of Madera County, Fresno County, or the Valley Air Basin portion of Kern County up to $5,000 for a new home heating and cooling system if they decommission their fireplace and install an electric heat pump system – with access to pipelines natural gas.

The county’s Fireplace and Wood Stove Conversion Program incentivizes residents to reduce emissions from their wood stove or fireplace by replacing their appliance with an electric heat pump or gas appliance.

The decision to replace or remove wood-burning fireplaces is an important part of our collective effort to reduce air pollution and improve the quality of life in our communities. We are pleased to be able to offer our residents increased financial support, with the top grants going to residents who are switching to electric heat pumps to heat their homes.

Jaime Holt, District Chief Communications Officer

To participate, residents must work with a county-approved retailer or HVAC company that participates in the participating program. Businesses can also participate by calling (559) 230-5800, residents at www.valleyair.org/change-out.

According to the Valley Air District, a heat pump heats and cools homes and serves as a combined heating and air conditioning system. These pumps provide highly efficient heating and cooling for California homes, are energy efficient and environmentally friendly when coupled with cleaner power sources such as solar power.

Click here for more information on electric heat pumps.

According to the Valley Air District, the federal Inflation Reduction Act grants applicants a tax credit equal to 30% of the total cost of installing a heat pump. Click here for more info.

The post The right way to stand up to $5,000 to improve your own home’s HVAC in Madera, Fresno counties appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

SUMMARY: A series of storms have inundated California with copious amounts of water, but the state needs new pipelines to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of the drought.

The rain and snow storms that battered California for weeks have claimed the lives of nearly two dozen people and caused billions of dollars in damage to public and private property.

The downside, however, is that they have dumped immense amounts of water on a state that has been suffering from severe drought for several years. Once this month, a staggering 160,000 cubic feet of water — 1.2 million gallons — flowed through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days, and doesn’t count the water falling on other regions like Southern California.

Whether the storms ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to catch enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to replenish underground aquifers that have been horribly overextended by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively small portion of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For example, only a trickle of the delta’s strong currents have been pumped into state and federal aqueducts to supply the San Joaquin Valley and southern California, largely due to rules restricting diversions to protect endangered species like the 2-inch-long delta smelt.

San Joaquin Valley lawmakers have asked President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax rules so more runoff can either be shipped to farmers or stored in storage facilities like the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half full.

“This is no time to call back the pumps,” Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Rep. Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter. “After several years of drought and low reservoirs, it only makes sense to take advantage of wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians with any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressmen told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

But state water agencies say their hands are tied by environmental protection regulations that dictate that early winter currents are allowed to wash out the delta and San Francisco Bay.

What happened or didn’t happen during the week-long deluge suggests that California needs new pipelines to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric flows” that bring immense amounts of rainfall.

Meteorologists believe the state will experience more unpredictable weather — prolonged droughts punctuated by occasional storm events like California has experienced — due to global climate change.

That means we need more reservoirs, like Sites Reservoir on the western side of the Sacramento Valley, which has been in the planning stages for several decades, and sinking basins to replenish aquifers. The long-dormant $4 billion Sites project now has the passionate support of state and federal officials, as well as some cash.

Meanwhile, the relatively meager diversions out of the delta now permitted by law reinforce the case for “delta conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus underground reservoirs, without harming the environment affect restrictions. The project has been running for six decades, first as a “Randkanal”, later as a twin tunnel called “Water Fix” and now as a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months as the Sierra’s immense snowpack, which is twice the historical average and still growing, melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature sheds the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive flooding.

Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media outlet that explains California politics and politics.

Related

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

South San Francisco’s 3-mile stretch of the Centennial Trail — used daily by joggers, hikers, and cyclists — will soon feature a host of new amenities including a skate park, pump track, nature playground, and picnic tables in a new expanse of space from Spruce Avenue through Huntington Way.

A pump track has berms and banks to allow bikers to maximize momentum with minimal pedaling. The unused park will include the facilities with lawns and shade for the picnic tables. According to a staff report, about 130 trees and 5,900 drought-tolerant shrubs will be planted, and there will be lighting and pet waste bins.

The California Department of Transportation’s Clean California Local Grant Program provided $2.4 million, and the city will fund an additional 50% through parking fees. City Manager Mike Futrell said the grant will not fund maintenance, but the city’s Parks and Recreation Department is committed to keeping up with the site.

“It’s a goal not only to build quality, but to maintain it over the long term,” Futrell said. “Right now when you go out there it’s just a blank canvas and because of that doesn’t get a lot of maintenance or attention.”

The grant program has funded more than $1 billion statewide and aims to reduce litter along state highways, local roads, parks, trails and transit centers and beautify the state’s transportation network, according to the report.

According to the report, local skate and bike groups will help conceptualize each part of the park during an additional phase of community engagement.

“Sometime last year, a petition for a bike pump track circulated in south San Francisco, and I’m glad to see that city officials found a way to implement one,” said councilman James Coleman. “I’m sure the signers of this petition will be very happy about it.”

The project will benefit students at nearby Boys and Girls Club, South San Francisco High School and Los Cerritos Elementary School, as well as the broader community by providing easy access to a walking trail and outdoor educational area, and by supporting underserved youth. The goal is to promote outdoor activities and environmental protection by holding six community events and running a social media campaign focused on raising awareness about waste prevention, which the report says will reach more than 26,000 residents.

Construction is scheduled to start next year and be completed by May 2024.

The post South San Francisco’s Centennial Path improve so as to add pump observe | Native Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

PRESS RELEASE

Published on February 20, 2023

This newly launched offer allows customers to receive preferential pricing when replacing their outdated HVAC equipment. In addition, the contractor submits non-binding offers to interested parties.

For more information about Home Alliance, visit https://hvacallianceexpert.com

The announcement comes as the state is experiencing unusually cold winter weather. By upgrading their HVAC system, homeowners will have energy-efficient appliances that not only provide constant heating, but also lower their electric bills.

A spokesman says, “The weather has been unpredictable lately and the last thing you want is an HVAC system that’s just as finicky.”

EXPERT SERVICE

The contractor understands that air conditioners and furnaces are complex devices that include heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical systems. As such, it employs a roster of properly licensed and insured technicians who can perform a full replacement efficiently. Their goal is to minimize downtime and disruption so customers can get back to their daily lives as quickly as possible.

PRACTICAL PROCEDURE

Customers can call the contractor for initial troubleshooting of their devices. If they decide to hire the company, the staff will conduct a home inspection to better plan the equipment upgrade process. Homeowners can also hire the team for routine maintenance on their newly installed HVAC system.

For more convenience, customers can book their service online. You can also call the number above to request a 24/7 emergency repair.

ABOUT HOME ALLIANCE

Home Alliance provides expert HVAC service to homeowners and businesses alike. In addition to repairs and replacements, it also carries out regular maintenance that extends the life of heating and cooling equipment. The company serves the Los Angeles, Culver City, Orange County, Pasadena, Irving, San Jose and San Francisco areas.

One satisfied customer shared this review: “We recently had Home Alliance replace our AC units. They always responded quickly and accurately. They finished their work the same day they came and even worked late at night. We know which contractor to turn to for HVAC issues.”

Interested parties can visit https://hvacallianceexpert.com for more details about the program and the Company’s other service areas.

home association
[email protected]
+1-877-777-0796
227 Victory Boulevard

United States

COMTEX_424894817/2824/2023-02-20T16:51:41

The post Los Angeles Heating & Cooling Tools Improve appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing – Each day Information appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

IN SUMMARY: A series of storms has dumped immense amounts of water on California, but the state needs some new plumbing to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water — 1.2 million gallons — was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly over-drafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the 2-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather — prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historical average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

Dan Walters is a journalist and author who writes for CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Related

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

In summary

A series of storms has dumped immense amounts of water on California, but the state needs some new plumbing to take advantage of such events and counteract the effects of drought.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions”

Columnist Dan Walters unpacks events in California each week.

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

The story you just read was funded by people like you.

CalMatters is a nonprofit newsroom and your tax-deductible donations help us keep bringing you and every Californian essential, nonpartisan information.

Unbiased news reporting is the foundation of democracy.

Catherine, Fresno

Featured CalMatters Member

The post Storms inform California to improve its plumbing appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.

The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water—1.2 million gallons—was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.

Whether the storms have ended the drought, however, depends on California’s ability to capture enough water to fill its badly depleted reservoirs and at least begin to recharge underground aquifers that have been terribly overdrafted by desperate farmers.

So far, only a relatively tiny amount of the immense storm runoff has found its way into storage. For instance, just a trickle of the Delta’s heavy flows has been pumped into state and federal aqueducts for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California, largely because of rules that limit diversions to protect endangered species such as the two-inch-long Delta melts

San Joaquin Valley legislators have seen President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom to relax the rules so that more runoff can be either delivered to farmers or placed in storage, such as the San Luis Reservoir, which is now less than half-full.

“This is no time to be dialing back the pumps,” state Sen. Melissa Hurtado and Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, both Democrats from Bakersfield, told Newsom in a letter last week. “After several years of drought and low reservoir levels, it only makes sense to capitalize on wet conditions.”

“We have a moral obligation to provide Californians any relief that is within our control,” five Republican congressional members told Biden and Newsom. “Government regulations should not and must not deny our constituents critical water from these storms.”

State water officials, however, say their hands are tied by environmental protection rules requiring that initial winter flows be allowed to flush out the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

What’s been happening, or not happening, during the weeks-long deluge indicates that California needs some new plumbing to take advantage of the periodic “atmospheric rivers” that bring immense amounts of precipitation.

Meteorologists believe that due to global climate change, the state will experience more erratic weather – prolonged periods of drought interrupted by occasional storm events such as the ones California has been experiencing.

That means we need more storage, such as the Sites Reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley that’s been in the planning stage for several decades and sinking basins to recharge aquifers. The long-dormant, $4 billion Sites project now has the ardent support of state and federal officials, as well as some serious money.

The relatively large diversions from the Delta now allowed by law, meanwhile, bolster the case for the “Delta Conveyance,” which would allow more water to be diverted into the state and federal aqueducts, and thus into downstate reservoirs, without running afoul of environmental restrictions. The project has kicked around for six decades, first as a “peripheral canal,” later as twin tunnels dubbed “Water Fix,” and now a single tunnel.

California water managers will have another chance to fill reservoirs in a few months, when the immense Sierra snowpack that’s twice the historic average and still growing melts. We can only hope that Mother Nature releases the snowpack’s water slowly enough to avoid destructive floods.

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to Commentary.

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