"SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proclaiming a statewide drought after two years of below-average rainfall, low snow melt runoff and the largest court-ordered restrictions on water transfers in state history.
His office said he would issue an executive order Wednesday directing the state's response to unusually dry conditions that are damaging crops, harming water quality and causing extreme fire danger across California.
Many communities already are requiring water conservation or rationing to deal with the shortfall.
Schwarzenegger's statewide drought declaration is the first since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson acted in the fifth year of a drought that lasted into 1992.
The executive order directs the state Department of Water Resources to speed water transfers to areas with the worst shortages.
It also tells state officials to help local water districts with conservation efforts and directs agencies to help farmers suffering losses from the drought.
In addition, the governor is naming two "water czars," one to coordinate conservation programs and the other to speed water transfers around the state.bolding is mine
California depends on winter snow accumulating in the Sierra Nevada for much of its summer water supply.
But March, April and May were the driest winter months on record, forcing water use cutbacks by farmers and urban residents alike.
The governor is warning that conditions could be even worse in 2009 if there is another dry winter.
Snow measurements last month found the Sierra held just 69 percent of an average winter, and that runoff into California rivers was at just 55 percent of a normal year.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said this week it would cut water supplied to Central Valley farms to 40 percent of the amount growers contract for with the federal government.
That could mean hundreds of acres of crops won't be planted this year, according to the giant Westlands Water District, which supplies growers who produce about $1 billion worth of crops each year.
Schwarzenegger is using the drought declaration to push his nearly $12 billion proposal to build more reservoirs and a canal to direct water around the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.bolding is mine
The delta funnels Northern California water to giant pumps that send it to central and southern California cities and farms. But a federal court order last year requires that more of the water be left for declining fish populations.
The governor wants voters to approve a $12 billion bond to fund delta, river and groundwater improvements, conservation and recycling efforts, and reservoirs. But legislators have not agreed to the plan despite ongoing negotiations with the administration.
Schwarzenegger reiterated in Wednesday's prepared remarks that he is committed to getting a bipartisan legislative agreement for a bond measure.
"This drought is an urgent reminder of the immediate need to upgrade California's water infrastructure," Schwarzenegger said. "There is no more time to waste because nothing is more vital to protect our economy, our environment and our quality of life."
http://www.kcra.com/water/16494234/detail.html
His office said he would issue an executive order Wednesday directing the state's response to unusually dry conditions that are damaging crops, harming water quality and causing extreme fire danger across California.
Many communities already are requiring water conservation or rationing to deal with the shortfall.
Schwarzenegger's statewide drought declaration is the first since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson acted in the fifth year of a drought that lasted into 1992.
The executive order directs the state Department of Water Resources to speed water transfers to areas with the worst shortages.
It also tells state officials to help local water districts with conservation efforts and directs agencies to help farmers suffering losses from the drought.
In addition, the governor is naming two "water czars," one to coordinate conservation programs and the other to speed water transfers around the state.bolding is mine
California depends on winter snow accumulating in the Sierra Nevada for much of its summer water supply.
But March, April and May were the driest winter months on record, forcing water use cutbacks by farmers and urban residents alike.
The governor is warning that conditions could be even worse in 2009 if there is another dry winter.
Snow measurements last month found the Sierra held just 69 percent of an average winter, and that runoff into California rivers was at just 55 percent of a normal year.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said this week it would cut water supplied to Central Valley farms to 40 percent of the amount growers contract for with the federal government.
That could mean hundreds of acres of crops won't be planted this year, according to the giant Westlands Water District, which supplies growers who produce about $1 billion worth of crops each year.
Schwarzenegger is using the drought declaration to push his nearly $12 billion proposal to build more reservoirs and a canal to direct water around the troubled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.bolding is mine
The delta funnels Northern California water to giant pumps that send it to central and southern California cities and farms. But a federal court order last year requires that more of the water be left for declining fish populations.
The governor wants voters to approve a $12 billion bond to fund delta, river and groundwater improvements, conservation and recycling efforts, and reservoirs. But legislators have not agreed to the plan despite ongoing negotiations with the administration.
Schwarzenegger reiterated in Wednesday's prepared remarks that he is committed to getting a bipartisan legislative agreement for a bond measure.
"This drought is an urgent reminder of the immediate need to upgrade California's water infrastructure," Schwarzenegger said. "There is no more time to waste because nothing is more vital to protect our economy, our environment and our quality of life."
http://www.kcra.com/water/16494234/detail.html
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