South Bay Reservoirs Reach Their Limits After Weeks of Rain

South Bay reservoirs are spilling over from the constant rain and, now, runoff — a rare sight generating both concern and excitement.

At the Lexington Reservoir near Los Gatos, crowds gathered Monday to see what was happening, while maybe worrying a little bit about what’s next. 

The water district said it is releasing more than 3,200 gallons a second — enough to prevent the reservoir from flooding but also keeping in mind to protect the Los Gatos Creek Trail from being overwhelmed.

“Walking along the creek and just knowing the ground is so saturated, just the danger of mudslides, the danger of trees falling, is a little bit more of a concern than the reservoir itself,” said Wendy Lucas of San Jose. 

Mudslides and falling trees near roads were all over the area around Uvas Reservoir in Morgan Hill where the storm has hit especially hard.

Small waterfalls show how saturated the ground still is and drivers have to make their way through many spots of standing water.

But the Uvas Reservoir, like Lexington, is an impressive sight.

With the water district releasing a cautious 100-or-so gallons a second to protect the smaller creeks and waterways here from getting flooded.

Visitors admit being torn about what’s causing this scenic attraction.

“It’s one thing to have the power out for a day, it’s another thing to get one evacuation warning after another, after another, after another and even if you’re OK, you don’t know whether or not your neighbors are OK,” said Flaherty. “It’s been a rough week.”

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Source: NBC Bay Area