CALIFORNIA & NEVADA - More stats have been revealed about the benefits El Niño has had on California’s drought. According to the Nevada Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), since December 9, Lake Tahoe has gained nearly 28 billion gallons of water. 

In total, the NRCS’s numbers reveal that Lake Tahoe gained about 8 inches of elevation compared the December low point. This equaled about 27.6 billion gallons, or, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, enough water to serve about 85,000 households for a year.

However, there is still a long way to go, experts say. The lake is currently about 11 inches below its natural rim, which is preventing the new water from flowing down the Truckee River to houses and farms in Nevada and California, the Reno Gazette-Journal says. 

“Until it gets above the rim… none of it is really useful at least in terms of our water supply and irrigation,” said Jeff Anderson, the NRCS’s Water Supply Specialist.

Forecasts suggest another 1.7 feet of gain will arrive between March 1 and the summer season, when Lake Tahoe typically reaches the annual high point. That gain, as well as what rain the rest of February has to offer, would put Lake Tahoe at about 10 inches above it’s natural rim, according to Chad Blanchard, Federal Water Master for the Truckee and Carson rivers.

The flow of the Truckee River at Farad is expected to be at about 104 percent of normal, according to the forecast, however Blanchard says it's possible that will range between 70 percent and 200 percent, due to how much time life in winter we have to get through.

Nevada Natural Resource Conservation Service