Will El Nio have an upside? California tries to capitalize on big storms

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Set us as preferred With a strong El Niño increasing the odds of big storms this fall and winter, California is on alert for possible flooding.But if it delivers a wet punch, it will also bring an upside: a bonanza of water.How prepared is the state to capitalize on El Niño? And what more can it do to take advantage of an extremely wet year?Experts say California has made progress capturing more stormwater, but there is still more it can do.Los Angeles County uses a network of 27 spreading grounds, where artificial basins fill up when storms send torrents cascading down from the mountains into the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys.

The water sinks into porous soil and replenishes the groundwater.“It really makes a big difference during these wet years that we capture as much of that water as possible,” said Sterling Klippel, assistant deputy director of the L.A.

County Public Works Department.“Whenever we have a storm season with above-average rainfall, that means we are capturing a lot of water, and the water that we capture during these wet storm seasons really helps to bridge the gap in water supply.”During the 2025-26 storm season, the Public Works Department estimated the system captured as much water as 3.3 million Angelenos use in a year.

If this El Niño brings major storms, the L.A.area could take in even more water underground, enabling cities to pump it out later to deliver to taps.

California A statewide emergency has been declared in California in anticipation of a rough El Niño-fueled winter.While managers of Southern California’s flood control system are preparing for an active storm season, some of the biggest efforts to capture more water are underway in the Central Valley.Over the last several years, work crews there have been restoring natural floodplains along rivers and creeks, buildi...