LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Forecasters said more rain is expected in Lake County on Wednesday, with another storm that’s expected to hit the North Coast inbound later this week.
The National Weather Service's Eureka Office reported that Lake County had 6 to 8 inches of rainfall with some higher totals in the surrounding mountains of around 10 to 15 inches since Jan. 3, according to a report from the county of Lake on Tuesday.
And more is on the way.
State Climatologist Dr. Michael Anderson said the sixth atmospheric river to hit the state since Christmas moved over California on Tuesday, with the forecast showing it will continue into Wednesday, when more heavy rain is expected.
Across Lake County on Tuesday, the National Weather Service’s observation stations recorded levels ranging from an inch of rain in Upper Lake to 2 inches near Hidden Valley Lake and 2.25 inches south of Lake Pillsbury.
The rainfall and continued runoff from the previous storms pushed Clear Lake’s level up to just over 1.0 feet Rumsey as of Tuesday night.
Anderson said the next atmospheric river storm, expected to hit on Thursday, will be more focused on the North Coast. That will be the seventh atmospheric river.
The eighth is forecast to arrive on Saturday, with the ninth, and last, anticipated on Wednesday, Jan. 18.
Anderson said California may see a week of dry weather after that last storm in the series.
The California Nevada River Forecast Center said early Wednesday that 20 rivers and water bodies are above monitor stage and six are above flood stage.
Those sites in the flood stage level include the Russian River in Hopland and Guerneville.
Jeremy Arrich, manager of the California Department of Water Resources’ Division of Flood Management, said the levels in Hopland are forecast to hover around flood stage for the next few days, but there has been no request for state assistance.
As of Tuesday, Arrich said the state’s Flood Operations Center has delivered flood fight equipment to 16 counties, including more than 389,000 sandbags, cix flood fight material containers, 3,000 fee of reinforcing muscle wall, more than 500,000 square feet of plastic sheeting for levee protection and deployed one flood fight specialist since the center was activated on Jan. 3.
Molly White, State Water Project water operations manager, said that as of Tuesday the average storage level of California’s 154 reservoirs was at 81% of the historic average.
The state also reported that the rain and high water has taxed aging water and sewer infrastructure, resulting in millions of gallons of sewage spills across the Bay Area.
In Lake County, Special Districts Administrator Scott Harter said they are doing “all right” in spite of all of the rain.
He told Lake County News that there were two small sewer spills due to the collection system surcharge on Monday morning in Clearlake but the agency was able to get pumper trucks dispatched quickly to relieve the system and stop the spills.
“They were both in the same reach of the collection system from two adjacent manholes in the Meadowbrook area,” Harter said.
The estimated volume was about 1,400 gallons from one, and 350 gallons from the other one. Harter said it was reported to the required agencies and appropriate actions were taken.
“The storm intensity has decreased significantly from last weekend and we are able to handle current flows without issue,” Harter said. “The longer range weather outlook looks promising as well with nothing quite as intense as we’ve experienced.”
Harter said the rest of the sewer systems are maintaining without issue and they got through the power outages without incident.
“Our water systems are looking good as well. We are experiencing intermittent treatment issues at our North Lakeport water treatment plant due to the turbidity of the water,” Harter said.
“On Sunday when turbidities were up we supplemented production with the intertie we have with the city of Lakeport water system,” Harter said. “Thankfully winter demands on the system are relatively low and we can meet them without concern.”
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Incoming storm expected to be focused on North Coast
- Elizabeth Larson
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