Prado Dam in Corona, California, is likely to receive more water than it can hold from incoming rainfall this weekend, according to Orange County Water District spokesperson Greg Woodside.
Located in San Bernardino County, the dam, which is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, supplies captured rainwater to the Santa Ana River, which is diverted to an underground water basin in Anaheim for Orange County and any excess then flows to the ocean.
It can hold up to 20,000 acre-feet of water, and is currently 95 percent full.
According to Woodside, this weekend’s rain will likely capture another 1,000-acre-feet of water, pushing the dam to its capacity.
Water from the dam and the county’s recharge basin is converted into drinking and household water for the county’s residents. These water suppliers provide about nine billion gallons of water to the county’s supply, enough to provide for 220,000 people for a year.
The National Weather Service predicts cities in Orange County will receive up to 2 inches of rain this weekend, starting Jan. 13 in the evening through Jan. 15.
