California got a lot of rain this winter and early spring, so much so that much of the state is now free of drought designation. Does Tropical Storm Hilary's record-setting rainfall give us even more breathing room? How does it impact the state's water supply?
Jeanine Jones, Interstate Resources Manager for the California Department of Water Resources, told KNX In Depth, in a nutshell, "From a water supply standpoint, it's not that significant."
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Jones said it was a lot of water, but it "happened too fast to recharge groundwater," and there aren't many reservoirs in southern California to store it in. So, the rainfall is mostly heading out to the ocean or "to sinks in the desert where it's not really going to significantly increase our storage," she said.
When it comes to 'catching up' on the 23 years of drought California has experienced, Jones said it would take multiple wet years to replenish some of the severely depleted groundwater basins in the central valley and refill the big reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
The one benefit Jones sees coming out of Tropical Storm Hilary's massive rain dump relates more to reducing the risks that come with peak wildfire season.
However, fire ecologist Luca Carmignani tells L.A.'s Afternoon News that's not necessarily the case.
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Carmignani said one storm is not enough; everything will be dry again in just a few days.
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