Sunday was the first day in several weeks that surfers, swimmers and kids wanting to play in the the wet sand had a green light to touch the Pacific Ocean in Coronado, but miles of beach south of there remained closed due to the huge sewage spill in Tijuana. Beaches from Avenida Lunar, one block south of the Hotel del Coronado, north to the Navy Base were declared safe Saturday evening by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. Testing confirmed that the water quality met state health standards.

The Carlsbad City Council met Tuesday for a public hearing and approved permits for a proposed four-story mixed-use building, including retail and office uses, and 106 apartments, 16 of which will be affordable housing, on Carlsbad Village Drive. The council also heard a report on public safety in the north beach area, and directed staff to bring back information before summer, including on outreach, lifeguard towers and gate closures. A discussion of permits for a condominium project at Poinsettia Lane was moved to the March 14 meeting.

The ferocious winter storm that flooded roadways and knocked down old Eucalyptus trees in South County has helped with water conservation measures. The San Diego County Water Authority in the past few months has officially declared an end to the  five-year long water drought. While the drought appears to be over, the California Water Resources Control board still believes water agencies and users need to conserve water. The drought is no more because of conservation methods by local water agencies and because of the abundance of rain this winter.

The crisis over the last few weeks at Oroville Dam was about how to handle large amounts of water flowing into the lake with both of the reservoir’s spillways damaged. But there also was a seismic angle to the story. As Lake Oroville swung from being at 41% of capacity to 101% in just two months, scientists are asking whether the filling of the reservoir at the fastest rate in at least a generation can produce a damaging earthquake.

The deluge that hit the county Monday has done wonders for local reservoirs, which — buoyed by an exceptionally wet winter — were already beginning to recover from years of punishing drought. On the border of San Diego and Escondido, Lake Hodges is now 88 percent full. It was just 57 percent full 10 days earlier, according to data gathered by the San Diego County Water Authority and City of San Diego. Lower Otay’s spill gates had to be opened to drain off excess water and Lake Poway was just inches away from overflowing.