California Preparing For Drought Conditions
Sacramento, CA — California Governor Gavin Newsom says the state will be taking steps to bolster drought resilience efforts as the state is in the midst of another dry year.
He says, “We recognize that the world that persisted and existed a century ago, no longer persists and exists today. The hots are getting hotter, the dries are getting drier, and with atmospheric rivers the wets are getting wetter. As a consequence, we need to disenthrall ourselves with the old ways of managing water supply and distribution.”
He says state agencies will accelerate funding for water supply enhancement, and conservation, projects. Unspent state funds will also be reallocated to help projects that address drought impacts and ecosystems.
Newsom also declared a localized state of emergency yesterday for the Russian River watershed in Sonoma and Mendocino counties where he says reservoirs are already at record lows.
The entire state was not included in the declaration, and this drew criticism from Republican Senator Scott Wilk, who argued, “While the overwhelming majority of the state is experiencing extreme drought conditions, Governor Newsom has chosen to only serve his French Laundry wine and cheese crowd. The Biden Administration has declared an emergency drought in nearly all California counties, what more does the governor need to get on board with this? Is the threat of a recall holding him back from helping our food producers and the rest of the state? Californians deserve action now, not this unsteady leadership.”
