All That January Rainfall Did a Lot of Good to Our State’s Reservoirs

Will a “normal winter” curtail summer shortages?

Big downpours can wreck havoc on our roads and snarl traffic, but they do wonders for our water conservation. After a meager November and December, January brought through a handful of big storms that resulted in sizable water capture in both NorCal and SoCal.

According to Mercury News, “Nearly all of the major reservoirs around California are now at or above their historical averages for this time of year, swelled by runoff that continues to pour in from brimming creeks, rivers and rising water tables.

“Meanwhile, the statewide Sierra Nevada snow pack, which provides about one-third of California’s water, on Tuesday was at 114 percent of normal, up from just 69 percent on January 1.

“’January brought us some good snow and precipitation,’ said Chris Orrock, a spokesman for the state Department of Water Resources. ‘We’re hoping for more of the same in February and March.’”

Bradford Stewart Designs Collection Entirely for Outdoor Display

Listening to jazz in his father’s design studio, former musician and painter Bradford Stewart knew at an early age he wanted to be a musician. Bored with practicing scales in music school, he dropped out and hit the road with an eight-piece funk/rock/jazz band. When the hectic life of a professional musician began to take its toll, he turned to painting.