The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors Thursday declared an end to drought conditions in the region, citing heavy local rainfall and snow in western mountain areas. According to the Water Authority, precipitation at San Diego’s official reporting station at Lindbergh Field is 172 percent of average at this time. Statewide snow-water content is 193 percent of average, while the snowpack in the Colorado River Basin — where San Diego obtains some of its water — is also well above normal, the SDCWA reported.

 

The San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors has declared an end to drought conditions in the region. According to the Water Authority, precipitation at San Diego’s official reporting station at Lindbergh Field is 172 percent of average at this time. Statewide snow-water content is 193 percent of average, while the snowpack in the Colorado River Basin — where San Diego obtains some of its water — is also well above normal, the SDCWA reported.

The San Diego County Water Authority’s board of directors today (January 26) declared that the drought is over. The board urged governor Jerry Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board to rescind statewide emergency water-use regulations for areas of the state no longer in drought conditions, such as San Diego. Heavy local rainfall, record-setting precipitation in the Northern Sierra, and a very good snowpack in the upper Colorado River basin convinced the county water authority board to call an end to the drought.

The San Diego County Water Authority approved a resolution Thursday declaring an end to the drought in San Diego County. The vote came after an unexpectedly rainy January that has already boosted the Sierra Nevada snowpack to springtime levels. The resolution also called upon Gov. Jerry Brown to declare an end the statewide drought emergency and cancel conservation regulations affecting San Diego. The approval was 25-0 with 8 abstentions. Several board members wanted more time to study the resolution, but authority staff said time was of the essence because the state Water Resources Control Board meets early in February.