Governor declares long drought over but urges continuing conservation.
The long drought emergency is officially over in most of California but the Governor and City of Santa Paula want consumers to continue to conserve.
Jerry Brown followed an unprecedented water conservation effort and plentiful winter rain and snow.
Although Brown declared the end of the drought emergency in most of the state, water reporting requirements and prohibitions on wasteful practices, such as watering during or right after rainfall, will be maintained.
“Conservation must remain a way of life.” His executive order lifted the drought emergency in all California counties except Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne, where emergency drinking water projects will continue to help address diminished groundwater supplies.
But, water conservation will continue to be a way of life throughout California.
The state will continue its work to coordinate a statewide response on the unprecedented bark beetle outbreak in drought-stressed forests that has killed millions of trees across California.
The consequences of millions of dead trees and the diminished groundwater basins will continue to challenge areas of the state for years.
It was marked by extraordinary heat: 2014, 2015 and 2016 were California’s first, second and third warmest year in terms of statewide average temperatures.
In 2011-2012 Santa Paula had 9.85 inches of rain, 54.6 percent of the average season total; in 2012-2013 only 5.96 inches of rain fell, just 33 percent of the season average; in 2013-2014 it was only 6.15 inches for 34.1 percent of the average; 2014-2015 there was 11.22 inches, 62.2 percent of normal and during 2015-2016 there was 9.88 inches of rain, 54.7 of average.