Prohibitions on wasteful water practices will remain in force following the Governor’s ending the drought state of emergency he declared in January 2014. The drought state of emergency continues for four counties—Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne—where the effects of prolonged dry weather included groundwater depletion and land subsidence. The April 7 executive order lifting the drought emergency pointed out that the water content in California’s mountain snowpack is at 164% of the seasonal average. Reservoirs are filled to above average capacities: Lake Oroville, the main reservoir in the State Water Project system, is at 101% of average. Lake Shasta, the largest reservoir in the federal Central Valley Project is at 110% of average, and the majority of other California major reservoirs are above normal storage levels. Conservation Plan The same day as the Governor issued the executive order ending the drought state of emergency, California agencies released the final version of a plan for “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life.” The primary objectives of the plan, which implements the Governor’s executive order from May 2016, are to use water more wisely, eliminate water waste, strengthen local drought resilience and improve agricultural water use efficiency and drought planning. Also [...]
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