A predicted “super” El Niño this winter could put one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to bolster the state’s water supplies to the test just as his governorship winds down. The storms could bring danger, potentially overwhelming levees and causing damaging floods. But they could also give California, where water supplies can swing wildly from drought to flood, a chance to capture and store excess water underground for later use. … Newsom has tried for the past couple of years to make it easier for water managers to divert floodwaters into underground aquifers as part of his broader efforts to store and send more water to farms and cities, sometimes angering environmentalists who argue it comes at the cost of endangered species.

Other El Niño news:

• Los Angeles Times: Clearing out the mountain basins in case El Niño brings flooding rain
• KQED (San Francisco): Scientists warn this year’s El Niño can trigger unprecedented flooding
• SJV Water (Bakersfield, Calif.): “Super” El Niño dominates Kern water district meetings
• Food Navigator: Which food commodities are threatened most by ‘Godzilla’ El Niño?