Where's all this rain water go?

[bass413]

With all the rain that's dropped in the past 4+ days, can we expect a huge rise in the water level at DVL?? In all reality, we're being inundated with news from floods throughout the southland. Where's all that water go, the ocean?? I realize we would not want immediate street run off to come into the lake (carrying with it everything from gas, oil, etc...), but it'd be nice to see some (alot) of the rain water put into these low reseviors.

Any of the DFG guys care to comment?? I've been wondering how the state harnesses the rain when we get it.

[JigStop]

Talked to a dept. of water guy last week on the way home from Sacramento. He said So Cal is in a much better position to retain significantly more rain water than during the last el nino'. He mentioned in particular DVL and the new much higher levees at the Prado Basin near Corona and Chino Hills. One downer, he said there were some "concerns" about the dam at Perris Lake, again.

[Fishbones]

Eventually into the ocean i would think....

[Stormcrow]

I would not be surprised to see DVL rise by about a foot. Maybe a tad more.

[TrouTracker]

To B413- DVL is not a typical lake that gets water from feeder streams when it rains. Traditional lakes in the Sierra's see their levels increase whenever it rains. Because there are not high mountains surrounding DVL, there's no opportunity for these types of streams or even rivers to form. We'll definitely gain a bit with the lake elevation, but it won't be significant. Look at it this way, it's better then falling lake elevation.
Barry A. Ogawa

[lurk 182]

DVL will come up a bit but not the way other lakes will that have a larger watershed (which is the area where rain that falls within it would eventually run downhill and end up adding to the water already in the impoundment). basically, there are no "streams" that are going to run into DVL that carry water that fell away from the lake, its only getting the water from the surrounding hillsides and that's it. SoCal in general will have more water to work with and MWD and DWP may see fit to put some of it into the lake at some point, i hope.

[klymons]

With all the rain that's dropped in the past 4+ days, can we expect a huge rise in the water level at DVL?? In all reality, we're being inundated with news from floods throughout the southland. Where's all that water go, the ocean?? I realize we would not want immediate street run off to come into the lake (carrying with it everything from gas, oil, etc...), but it'd be nice to see some (alot) of the rain water put into these low reseviors.

Any of the DFG guys care to comment?? I've been wondering how the state harnesses the rain when we get it.

Is this some kind of trick question, along the lines of: "If you stick your hand in the fire will it get burned?" Until the rain starts falling "up" instead of down, the rain has this strange tendency to go anywhere it wants--every place from your backyard to Santa Monica Bay. And if your street happens to be near a local lake, all that road muck will flow into the water without fail. As for the state harnessing the water power? Is that also a trick question? Our Govinator Arnold has sliced and diced the budget so much that there's hardly enough money to run a small town, much less a whole state. Bottom line is simple: Some of the rain will cause flooding, landslides, and soggy Rockports. This is bad. Some of the rain will fill low level watersheds with much needed water and also flow underground. This is good. As Hitts'on would say: "It's standard."

[Momac]

Is this some kind of trick question, along the lines of: "If you stick your hand in the fire will it get burned?" Until the rain starts falling "up" instead of down, the rain has this strange tendency to go anywhere it wants--every place from your backyard to Santa Monica Bay. And if your street happens to be near a local lake, all that road muck will flow into the water without fail. As for the state harnessing the water power? Is that also a trick question? Our Govinator Arnold has sliced and diced the budget so much that there's hardly enough money to run a small town, much less a whole state. Bottom line is simple: Some of the rain will cause flooding, landslides, and soggy Rockports. This is bad. Some of the rain will fill low level watersheds with much needed water and also flow underground. This is good. As Hitts'on would say: "It's standard."

The guy had a question that he didn't know the answer to and up until your idiotic response, he was actually getting some answers. Do us a favor klymons, post up your next question on the board so we can tear it apart.

[goodguy]

From what I hear, socal has spent too much time buying water from other sources and not nearly enough time trying to figure out how to harness what little rain water we do get. Unfortunately most of this water is flowing out the pacific...

[WormFisher]

Exactly-Look at the surface of DVL it's basically a valley dammed up. What ever rain falls in that area will raise the lake level that much. Maybe a couple of inches.
There is no watershed to drain into the lake-like most of the lakes in SD have.
Heck even Castaic has some watershed.

Don't expect much change in the DVL level until maybe spring.

[Natural Lefty]

I think Goodguy is correct that southern californians have put too little effort into saving our rain water. Most of our reservoir water comes from the north or the Colorado River. It is also true that Diamond Valley does not have much of a watershed. However, with all of the precipitation going on it looks like the inlet pumps will be turned on and Diamond Valley is likely to go way up throughout the rest of winter and spring, maybe even filling all the way up. Surprisingly, this lake has gone up and down drastically already in the few years since it has been open to the public.

[seal]

Silverwood has been feeding DVL for a while now. Even after the rain Silverwood remains very low, partially to keep the Mohave river from flooding again I hear. I think that DVL is going to get a ton of water this year, might mean for a much shorter walk down the launch ramp in the near future.

[Gobigal]

Most of us who log into FNN know the pipe construction going on along the San Bernardino mountains which will eventually help us retain the rain and snow run-off that flows into the creeks and rivers into DVL within the next few years. Also, the more rain we get in SoCal, whether or not it runs into the ocean, will help the water tables, which translates to less water taken from DVL for places like San Diego and other MWD contracted users.

This year is an El Nino winter which bodes well for all our reservoirs here in SoCal as long as we get at least 20-inches of rain and that's asking a lot.

Big Al

[JigStop]

Silverwood is the reason DVL has the resident striper issue. If you don't think it's an issue, wait ten years. They are scourge of the earth.

[seal]

Silverwood is the reason DVL has the resident striper issue. If you don't think it's an issue, wait ten years. They are scourge of the earth.

Well yes maybe, but Silverwood received it's stripers from the Duct so don't blame my lake!

Seriously though they had to know the stripers were going to happen, every other reservoir connected to the Duct system got the stripers why wouldn't they think DVL would get them too?

Based on the reports though I don't think the stripers have affected the LMB population that much. The fry in Silverwood was thick last year so the LMB's have survived there and Silverwood has had the infestation for quite a while now. I do think the HO rainbow's will or have taken a hit though.