California has been deluged by seven atmospheric rivers since Dec. 26, dumping up to 30 inches of rain over some areas. However, despite the heavy rain, the state's major reservoirs remain well below their historic average. The largest reservoirs, at Shasta and Oroville, are still at 42% and 47% of capacity. With climate change causing extreme weather, California will experience more severe droughts and heat waves. But the state's water infrastructure, mostly built in the 20th Century, is ill-equipped for the new situation. The state's infrastructure, largely a network of cement canals, lacks the capacity to capture excess stormwater. Irrigation and flood control projects were largely designed to convey water as quickly as possible in straight lines. That deprives flood plains of water taking a natural path that would protect adjacent cities from floods while also recharging the aquifer.