Why Lake Nacimiento is spilling water when it’s not at 100 percent capacity

The Monterey County Water Resources Agency is continuing to release water from Lake Nacimiento’s main spillway as part of its effort to maintain flood control space in the reservoir.

Deputy general manager Robert Johnson said the agency is wary of the potential for more rain this winter and is following its reservoir release management strategy.

“There have been some pretty wet Marchs over the years, and releases will be adjusted to maximize storage and minimize possible downstream flooding,” Johnson said in an email Monday.

The lake was at 87 percent capacity on Monday, down from 90 percent on Saturday.

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Why Lake Nacimiento is spilling water when it’s not at 100 percent capacity."