While most areas in Santa Barbara County got at least a half-inch of rain with the most recent storm, it did not do much to help local reservoirs.
Cachuma Lake’s water level increased slightly, with the reservoir recorded at 31.7% of capacity on Monday and 31.8% full on Wednesday morning, after the storm, according to the county’s rainfall and reservoir summaries.
The Gibraltar Reservoir increased from 19.7% full on Monday to 20.1% full Wednesday morning, and the Jameson Reservoir also increased slightly to 53.5% of capacity on Wednesday morning.
With California still in a drought, the Montecito Water District is reminding the public to pause outdoor irrigation to save water following the recent storm.
“After rainfall of ¼ inch or more, irrigation can be stopped for one to two weeks this time of year, possible even longer,” Montecito Water District public information officer Laura Camp said. “The cooler, shorter days provide perfect conditions for soil moisture retention, particularly under mulch.”
According to the county’s rainfall amounts, Santa Barbara County’s South Coast received between 0.82 inches — recorded in Carpinteria — and 1.77 inches of rain — recorded at the Santa Barbara County building — during the past three days.
Meanwhile, the Santa Ynez Valley got about 1.33 inches of rain, and the North County received between 0.68 inches — recorded in Santa Maria — and 0.89 inches of rain — recorded at the Cuyama Fire Station.
One of the highest rainfall amounts in the county was recorded on San Marcos Pass with about 3.2 inches of rain.
— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at sguentz@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.