SILVER LINING: This may be one of...

SILVER LINING: This may be one of the soggiest Januarys ever for the Valley, above, but the storms could brighten the summer . . . with lower water bills. Sierra Nevada snowpacks, which provide 85% of our local water, are 150% above normal. Says Department of Water and Power engineer Jerry Gewe: “Right now, we’re looking at a 3% to 5% rate decrease. But if the snow were to continue on, it would be like a 10% to 15% decrease.”

BAD TRIP: Fate has a way of catching up to Michael Cohen. After surviving the Northridge earthquake, Cohen left his North Hollywood home for a teaching position . . . in Osaka, Japan. Cohen and his family made it through the new Jan. 17 temblor, but they learned a lesson. Said Cohen: “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

HEATED: It happened during Sunday’s game here between CSUN and Cal. . . . Cal basketball Coach Todd Bozeman argued with fans, tried to charge one of them, then threw a punch at Howard Garcia, the Northridge security supervisor. On Monday, Cal’s athletic director said he wouldn’t take disciplinary action against Bozeman. Bozeman’s “emotional reaction” was “understandable” (C3).

SUPERMESS: It’s one of the nation’s larger Superfund toxic cleanup projects . . . and it’s not getting any prettier. The Lockheed Corp. estimates that cleaning up its Burbank site may hit $300 million in the next decade. Meanwhile, the company’s 300 acres around Burbank Airport have plummeted in value. See Valley Business, Page 3.

BOOM TOWN: Allison Simons never thought she’d be in the fast lane when she moved to Boron. . . . But the Mojave desert town is under plenty of traffic from military jets. And more noise is ahead for February, when Dryden Flight Research Center conducts sonic boom tests (B9). Simons, from New Hampshire, has learned to cope: “You jump at first when you move out here, but you just get used to it.”

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Let It Rain

January rainfall in the San Fernando Valley is nearing the record.

Top January rainfall totals in inches for the Valley: 1) 1969: 14.16 2) 1952: 13.42 3) 1943: 12.88 4) 1993: 12.55 5) 1995*: 12.01 6) 1974: 9.24 * Total as of Jan. 22

Note: Current figure from Woodland Hills; all others from Burbank.

Source: WeatherData, Inc.