California’s drought-ridden cities are on track to collectively meet Gov. Jerry Brown ’s call for a 25% reduction in water usage. But there is a notable laggard: the state’s desert resort areas.

 

Many desert water agencies continue to miss their targets, even after some have been slapped with fines. Officials in desert communities—which as heavy water users were given tougher goals than many other municipalities—say they face unique challenges, such as irrigating grass in the extreme summer heat.

 

The farmers and cities that rely on the California State Water Project got some slightly encouraging news Tuesday – the state is raising their water allocation to 15 percent of what they requested.

 

Reflecting the stormy weather California has seen so far this winter, the Department of Water Resources said it was increasing the allocation to 15 percent, up from the previously announced 10 percent. That’s still lower than the 20 percent the State Water Project delivered last year.

The heavens have opened up this winter and are dumping gobs of snow on the Sierra Nevada.

 

The snowpack in the Sierra contains more water than any year since 2011 on this date, according to the California Department of Water Resources. It’s a good sign, but no guarantee that the four-year drought that has left the Golden State high and dry is coming to an end, officials said.

El Niño is currently a welcoming sight for water conservation efforts, despite the potential for flooding and mudslides as California enters what may be its fifth year of the worst drought in state history.

 

This year’s current El Niño system has tied with a system from 1997 as the strongest on record, with wetter conditions for California from January to March, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).