California is entering what could be a sixth year of drought, despite a wet October. The drought is not over in the sense that surface water storage has not fully recovered – the state would need three Folsom Reservoirs filled to the brim. And our groundwater reserves have been drawn down – it would take 12 full Folsom Reservoirs stored underground to return to pre-drought levels. The drought has had devastating effects on forests and fish populations. Even if we have a wet winter, groundwater depletion will remain an issue for years, as will ecosystem recovery.