East Bay MUD and federal water officials say reservoirs about half full

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) - Another round of rain is sweeping through the Bay Area, as officials with the East Bay Municipal Utility District and federal water officials say reservoirs are about half full.

Starting Friday, grey cloudy skies stretched across the region. For a state suffering from four years of drought, any rainfall feels like a windfall.

"We started 2016 at about 45 percent at capacity. Now we're at about 48 percent. so our reservoir levels are rising slowly," said Nelsy Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

East Bay MUD officials say by comparison, water levels were 79 percent full in January 2013. The current rain is good, but they say the moment of truth will come in April.

"April is when we'll be able to tell how much snow is on the mountains, how dense that snow is, where our reservoir levels are and how much water we're expected to collect over the summer," said Rodriguez.

In San Francisco, Dominic Rivelli felt the wet weather more than most people. He works for Cabrio Taxi, pedaling passengers around the city on his three-wheeled pedicab.

"Gotta pay the bills, you know, so I had to come out and work...rain or shine," Rivelli said.

In Marin, some drivers had to navigate a few flooded roads and intersections.

State water restrictions remain in place and people are being asked to limit indoor water use to 35 gallons a day per person.

"That's a five minute shower, a few toilet flushes and hand washes and maybe a load of dishes or a load of laundry," Rodriguez said.

Dominic Rivelli says the hardest thing for many people in the coming months might be keeping a sunny disposition.

"Trying not to get grumpy. I'd say being out here in the rain and trying to go hey guys, be happy," Rivelli said.