The “storm of the decade” that dumped more than a couple of inches on Benicia Dec. 10-12 paused over Lake Berryessa, sending even more rain into that reservoir, Mayor Elizabeth Patterson said.

And Benicia’s water picture has improved somewhat, officials said.

In the city, two streets were closed because of temporary flooding. Some people were able to kayak on First Street, andparts of the city’s downtown-area ball fields still have standing water.

“It was a busy and wet week,” Public Works Director Graham Wadsworth said. He said his staff handled 121 service calls a day, and were busy at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, though the city’s pump stations operated well during the storm.

Two trees fell, and the city stocked 70 tons of sand and 5,000 sand bags for residents to use to avert flooding.

Among those more seriously affected were Todd and Christy Willis and their children, who were forced out when high waters entered their home at 472 East N St. They currently are staying at a local hotel.

“The street crews took the brunt of the storm,” City Manager Brad Kilger said. They worked 15-hour days, and were supported by employees of the police, fire, community services and other departments, he said.

But if California is going to see the end of its severe drought, it needs six more of those “Pineapple Express” storms, Patterson said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

Lake Oroville is holding just a third of its capacity, though that’s up from a quarter of its capacity reported earlier.

Its current 1.18 million acre-feet of water is below its historic average of 2.16 million acre-feet for this time of year, according to information provided by the state.

Benicia normally buys 85 percent of its water from the North Bay Aqueduct, and Lake Oroville is the main source of NBA water.

Benicia also contracts for water through the Solano Project, and is conserving that water in Lake Berryessa. The city also is trying to make best use of the water in Lake Herman to assure the community has water if the drought continues through December 2016.

Lake Berryessa’s volume has increased by about 70,000 acre-feet of water since the first of the month, boosted by 1.55 inches that fell Dec. 3 and 2.84 inches that were recorded Dec. 12, according to the state Department of Water Resources.

Wadsworth said he won’t know until January how much Benicia will be allotted from its contract with the State Water Project. Normally, the city has depended on that source for the bulk of its supply.

But this year, the allotment has ranged from zero to a mere 5 percent, forcing the city to set aside $900,000 for water purchases and call for citizen and municipal conservation.

No matter how much Benicia gets, it pays $392,000 to the State Water Project.

In terms of conservation, Benicia is doing well, Wadsworth said. While other Californians have cut back about 6 percent compared to last year’s use, Benicians have reduced consumption by nearly 20 percent since January — even more if the current use rate is compared to last March’s.

Residents also have reduced their lawns by about three square feet per capita, which is twice the extent seen in other areas of the state, he said.

Wadsworth said Benicia may be able to use settlement water it secured in 2003, and up to 1,000 acre-feet of North Bay Aqueduct water available through Article 21 in January. The State Water Project may release 10 percent of the city’s allotment, an improvement compared to this year, and Benicia may be able to acquire the 1,000 acre-feet of water it has banked in the Mojave Water Agency.

It’s expecting to carry over $3,700 acre-feet of SWP water and 11,345 acre-feet of Solano Porject water into 2015, Wadsworth said. Lake Herman should have 1,000 acre-feet of water because of these early winter rains, he said.

Should residents and the city continue to conserve at a rate of about 20 percent, the total demand of treated water should drop to 5,000 acre-feet next year, and if Valero Benicia Refinery continues to conserve its use of raw water, it may use only 4,700 acre-feet in 2015, Wadsworth said. The refinery, which needs water in its refining process, has been able to cut back 5 percent, he said.

Ultimately, next year’s demand may drop to 9,700 acre-feet, which would let Benicia start 2016 with nearly 17,700 acre-feet of water, which he said would be enough for both municipal and industrial demands.

The city is part of a pilot program called WaterSmart that is another conservation tool, he said. The first home water use reports were sent to residents this month. This is expected to give individualized water use information so residents are made more aware of their household water use as it compares to other households.

Another tool is the WattzOn program that analyzes water and energy use and provides homeowners advice on cutting back on both. Those who want free home water and energy analyses may call 800-314-5997 or email info@wattzon.com.

Patterson expressed admiration to Wadsworth for suggesting residents help clean storm drains. “It’s a good reminder to send out,” she said.

“The entire city came together,” Vice Mayor Mark Hughes said. “We had isolated serious flooding issues, and we’re working through it with those folks the best we can.”