The California Drought Is Technically Over, But Likely Not Forever.
Gov.
Jerry Brown signed an executive order Friday (April 7) marking the end of California’s more than five-year drought in most parts of the state.
All except Tuolumne are primarily comprised of people of color, with the great majority Latinx.
Throughout the drought, as the executive order mentions, the state provided more than 65 million gallons of water to fill water tanks in communities throughout the state—some related to water shortages, others for water contamination.
As Colorlines has covered in the past, certain communities in the Golden State were dealing with more than dwindling water resources.
East Porterville is in Tulare County, one of the counties still under a state of emergency.
Gov.
Brown was clear that the end of this drought doesn’t mean the end of all droughts, especially as climate change exacerbates such extreme weather.
Given these future projections, Brown was sure to include in his executive order a mandate for the State Water Resources Control Board to continue developing permanent prohibitions on wasteful water use and permanent reporting requirements for water use.