Tuesday, Jan. 08, 2008

Utilities stand up to soaking

Weekend storms' workload wasn't 'terribly remarkable'

Utility companies and public works departments all over the Central Valley, the foothills and the Sierra say they've regained their footing after a series of storm systems pummeled California last week.

More than 16,000 homes in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and Mother Lode suffered power problems because of the weekend weather system, according to statements by utility companies. Of those, almost all have had their electricity restored.

Kate Hora, spokeswoman for the Modesto Irrigation District, said all MID customers who experienced power failures because of inclement weather have had their power restored.

"Altogether, the system came together very well," Hora said.

Representatives from the Turlock Irrigation District and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported similar success, though PG&E spokeswoman Nicole Tam said 59 Sonora customers were without power Monday.

"We are still aware and working to restore power in those areas," Tam said. "We have literally every available resource being utilized."

Cleanup crews were working overtime to respond to the hundreds of trouble calls and to clear branches and debris caused by the storm's high winds. Some cleanup still was under way Monday, according to Brian MacDonald, administrative analyst for the Modesto Public Works Department.

Bill Dufresne, the city's for- estry superintendent, said his crew's heavy workload was typical for such a powerful weather system.

"It was a lot, but it was pretty normal for a storm like this one," Dufresne said.

MacDonald said crews were working day and night to alleviate pressure in local storm drain systems. Streets all over Modesto were flooded.

Despite the seemingly heavy volume of water, Hora said it wasn't a "terribly remarkable day" in terms of rainfall.

"Last Friday, Modesto got 1.68 inches of rain," Hora said. "Yes, it was a wet day, and there was some localized street flooding, but it wasn't even one of the 10 wettest days on record for Jan. 4."

Hora said January is typically the wettest month of the year, though it isn't necessarily an accurate predictor for the rest of the season, which runs July 1 through June 30.

Still, the MID reports that the storm brought 2.69 inches of rain, which is above the average for the entire month of January, which is 2.34 inches.

"But Mother Nature likes to fool us," Hora said.

Michelle Reimers, spokes-woman for the TID, said more important than valley rainfall numbers are snow levels in the Tuolumne watershed, which feed into valley lakes and reservoirs in the spring.

"(Most watershed areas) received about 7 feet of snow from last week to this week," Reimers said. "That's very beneficial to us."

With more rain likely today and Wednesday, county public works officials said they're ready to continue responding to service requests.

"We're in pretty good shape for the next storm," said Dave Nordell, public works manager for Stanislaus County. "We'll do what it takes to keep everything going."

Before the storms, state hydrologists measured the Sierra snowpack Thursday at about 61 percent of average for this time of year. By Monday, the snowpack was at 111 percent of normal, said Elissa Lynn, senior meteorologist with the state Department of Water Resources.

The Sierra snowpack acts as a massive frozen reservoir for the state, releasing water in spring and summer for cities and farmers.

In the Tahoe Basin, the snowpack jumped from 49 percent to 108 percent of normal.

The storms also brought much-needed rain to Southern California, where more than a foot of rain fell at Opids Camp in the Los Angeles County mountains, and nearly 11 inches fell in San Marcos Pass in the Santa Barbara County mountains from Friday morning to Monday morning.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bee staff writer Thomas Pardee can be reached at tpardee@modbee.com or 578-2318.