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Another Bay Area City Is Poised to Declare a Drought Emergency and Mandate Water Conservation

Amid California’s worsening drought, Pleasanton city officials on Tuesday are expected to declare a local drought and water shortage emergency, and require residents to reduce their water usage by 15%. The Pleasanton City Council will vote at Tuesday’s meeting. In a report accompanying the council’s agenda, staff urged council members to make such declarations after board members with the Zone 7 Water Agency voted to do the same in September. The water agency, which serves the cities of Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, San Ramon and parts of Dougherty, said Tri-Valley customers are falling short on water reduction compared with 2020.

Petaluma Enters Stage 4 Water Emergency Amid Drought Concerns

The Petaluma City Council on Monday night declared a drought emergency, ratcheting up restrictions on residents’ water use in the city’s latest effort to conserve the region’s dwindling water resources.

In a 6-1 vote late Monday night, the council approved a resolution for the Stage 4 emergency. The move calls for a 30% mandatory water reduction goal for city water customers, up from the previous goal of 25%.

California Drought: Santa Clara County Residents Failing to Meet Water Conservation Goals

On June 9, as California’s historic drought deepened, the largest water agency in Santa Clara County declared a drought emergency and asked the county’s 2 million residents to cut water use by 15% from 2019 levels to preserve dwindling supplies.

Imperial Valley’s Water During the Western Drought

While much of the western US is experiencing drought conditions, California is one of the hardest hit. As of June 22, 100 percent of the State is experiencing some degree of drought. About 33 percent of the State has been categorized under exceptional drought — the most intense drought classification. But water access varies greatly by region, according to a recent article by CalMatters.

Governor Gavin Newsom expanded two earlier drought emergency declarations on July 8, to cover 50 of the State’s 58 counties. He signed an executive order calling on all Californians to voluntarily reduce water use by 15 percent. The governor’s emergency proclamation did not impose water conservation mandates. Instead, Newsom is leaving water conservation to each region.

Gavin Newsom Calls on Californians to Cut Water Use by 15%, Expands Drought Emergency

Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded his drought emergency declaration Thursday and called on Californians to reduce water consumption by 15%.

In a pair of emergency orders issued during an appearance at parched Lopez Lake near San Luis Obispo, the governor added nine more counties to the list of those covered by his emergency declaration from two months ago. That makes the drought official in 50 of the state’s 58 counties — essentially, everywhere except San Francisco and urban Southern California.

The counties added to the list: San Luis Obispo, Inyo, Marin, Mono, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. Extending the emergency to a broader area makes it easier for the State Water Resources Control Board to cut off water rights to farmers who pull water from rivers and streams.

Governor Declares Drought Emergency for Much of Western Colorado

Gov. Jared Polis formally declared a drought emergency Friday for almost two dozen western Colorado counties. Colorado’s Drought Task Force, Agriculture Impact Task Force and Municipal Water Task Force will remain active and responsive to local needs, a release from the Colorado Water Conservation Board states Friday. Moffat, Routt, Jackson, Rio Blanco, Grand, Garfield, Eagle, Summit, Mesa, Delta, Pitkin, Gunnison, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel, San Juan, Hinsdale, Dolores, Montezuma, La Plata and Archuleta counties are included in the declaration.

‘Truly An Emergency’: How Drought Returned to California – and What Lies Ahead

Just two years after California celebrated the end of its last devastating drought, the state is facing another one. Snowpack has dwindled to nearly nothing, the state’s 1,500 reservoirs are at only 50% of their average levels, and federal and local agencies have begun to issue water restrictions.

Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a drought emergency in 41 of the state’s 58 counties. Meanwhile, temperatures are surging as the region braces for what is expected to be another record-breaking fire season, and scientists are sounding the alarm about the state’s readiness.

Running Out of Water and Time: How Unprepared is California for 2021’s Drought?

With most of the state gripped by extreme dryness, some conditions are better, some worse, than the last record-breaking drought. Over-pumping of wells hasn’t stopped. But urban residents haven’t lapsed back into water-wasting lifestyles. “We are in worse shape than we were before the last drought, and we are going to be in even worse shape after this one,” said Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at University of California at Davis.

San Diego Region Can Outlast Drought Conditions Until 2045, Water Authority Says

Despite a drought emergency declaration in northern and central California, the San Diego County Water Authority said Tuesday the region was well-positioned to outlast drought conditions for several decades. On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a drought emergency declaration from Sonoma and Mendocino counties to 41 counties.

About 30% of the state’s population is now covered by the drought declarations, including the greater Sacramento area and Fresno, Merced and Stanislaus counties in the San Joaquin Valley. Southern California has largely been excluded from the declarations.

“Governor Newsom’s latest drought emergency declaration is a grim reminder of the growing water supply challenges across California — and of the value of three decades of our collective dedication to use water efficiently combined with strategic investments that protect San Diego County from dry years,” said Gary Croucher, board chair of the San Diego County Water Authority. “Thanks to efforts of ratepayers, the water authority and our 24 member agencies, we have sufficient water supplies for 2021 and the foreseeable future.”

This is the second major drought California has experienced in a decade. The last one ran from 2012-16.

Sierra Snowpack is Already “Wiped Out” This Year, Adding to California Drought and Fire Worries

The Sierra Nevada snowpack, a crucial water source for California’s cities and farms, has already dwindled to next to nothing this year, adding to the state’s worsening drought situation.

The latest data from the state Department of Water Resources on Tuesday showed California’s snowpack was just 6% of normal for May 11, and 4% of the normal average for April 1. That date is typically when California’s snowpack is the deepest and has the highest snow water equivalent — the depth of water that would result if the snow melted upon falling.