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Water Levels in South Bay Reservoirs Well Below Average

LOS GATOS (KPIX) -- With the snowpack statewide at just 72 percent of historic average, experts say it is not time to panic.

"It just shows how unpredictable snow and precipitation are here in California and how just a few atmospheric rivers can drastically change a water year like the one we are having now," said Sean De Guzman, with the California Department of Water Resources.

In the South Bay, Santa Clara County's 10 reservoirs combined are at about two-thirds of their normal levels at this point in the year. Lexington Reservoir, near Los Gatos is just half full.

Water managers say local groundwater supplies remain strong so the reduced Sierra snowpack is not yet of critical concern.

"There is time to make it up and even thought it is slightly below average it is a drier year and we do have drier years and then hopefully we do have some wetter years," said Aaron Baker, with the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

On a positive note, people are still conserving -- possibly a permanent benefit of the last major drought which officially ran from 2011 until March of 2019. Water managers point out that California has two more months of winter weather ahead to bolster the snowpack and reservoir levels.

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