What if, rather than trying to out-engineer the weather, or evacuate and return in an endless cycle, we changed where and how we live?

State water supply experts say it will also take more than one good year of heavy snow to begin recovery of the state's groundwater basins from several years of drought.

Communities, largely home to low-income Latino residents, still have dry wells. Restoring groundwater takes decades, with costly, long-term replenishment projects — and ultimately, much less pumping.

The Almaden Reservoir, Uvas Reservoir and Coyote Lake in Santa Clara County are all above 100 percent of capacity, according to Santa Clara Valley Water. The Lexington Reservoir and Chesbro Reservoir are also above 75 percent.

Crews will soon begin digging 24-foot tunnel into the Anderson reservoir near Morgan Hill.

That plan would have cost California at least $20 billion—and up to $70 billion, by some estimates.