Photo: The Press Democrat
This morning, the San Jose Mercury News is reporting state-wide water restrictions may be on their way.
While campaigning in Santa Cruz, Governor Newsom said he may put mandatory water restrictions in place statewide in as soon as six weeks from now. The declaration came as the governor and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan inspected recovery efforts at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains one year after a massive wildfire burned through the park’s ancient redwoods. Lake Oroville and Folsom reservoir are both only 23% full. California is in the midst of its worst drought in nearly 50 years.
Overall, 88% of the state is in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NOAA and the University of Nebraska. After the least rainfall in any two-year period since 1975-77, reservoirs in many places across Northern California have fallen to shockingly low levels.