Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump Says He May Recommend a Republican National Convention Before 2026 Midterm Elections

2 hours ago

Tensions Between Some Tahoe Residents and Wildlife Workers Become Unbearable

23 hours ago

California Republican Leader Calls for ‘Two State Solution’ Amid Redistricting Fight

1 day ago

Three Dead in Minneapolis Shooting, Including Shooter, Justice Department Official Says

1 day ago

Israeli Tanks Close in on Gaza City, Trump to Chair Meeting

1 day ago

Trump Says Soros and His Son Should Be Charged With RICO

1 day ago

Wall Street Opens Muted in Countdown to Nvidia Earnings

1 day ago

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

2 days ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

2 days ago

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

2 days ago
Newsom Expands Drought Emergency to Include Central Valley
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
May 10, 2021

Share

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday expanded a drought emergency declaration to a large swath northern and central California, including Fresno County, amid “acute water supply shortages.”

The drought declaration now covers 41 of 58 California counties, encompassing 30% of California’s population of nearly 40 million people.

It comes as Newsom prepares to propose more spending on both short- and long-term responses to dry conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows most of California and a huge swath of the American West is in extensive drought.

Bipartisan Valley Delegation Sought Declaration

Since March, a bipartisan coalition of Central Valley legislators and county leaders have urged Newsom to declare an emergency to allow for the relaxation of certain regulatory, environmental, and administrative restraints and allow for water transfers to food producers.

The counties of Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings, and San Joaquin have all formally declared local emergencies.

“We respectfully caution the administration, and the divisions of the state executing this declaration, that these emergency policies not be poisoned with divisive provisions or unnecessarily inflate the authority of bureaucratic agencies, and that it should be tailored to our pressing agricultural needs,” said state Sen. Andreas Borgeas, a Fresno Republican who chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee. “More time will be needed to properly examine and understand the implications of the 13 provisions of the declaration released just today.”

Enables Regulatory Flexibility

The governor’s proclamation directs the State Water Board to consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases and diversion limitations to conserve water upstream later in the year to maintain water supply, improve water quality and protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead.

The state of emergency also enables flexibilities in regulatory requirements and procurement processes to mitigate drought impacts and directs state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water from one water right holder to another, enabling available water to flow where it is needed most, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

Dry Year Unique in Other Aspects as Well

The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which provides about a third of the state’s water, was at just 59% of average on April 1, when it is normally at its peak.

This year is unique in the state’s recorded history because of extraordinarily warm temperatures in April and early May, the administration said. That led to a quick melting of the Sierra Nevada snowpack in the waterways that feed the Sacramento River, which in turn supplies much of the state’s summer water supply.

The problem was worse because much of the snow seeped into the ground instead of flowing into rivers and reservoirs, the administration said.

The warmer temperatures also caused water users to draw more water more quickly than even in other drought years, the administration said, leaving the reservoirs extremely low for farmers, fish and wildlife that depend on them.

That all reduced the state’s water supplies by as much as what would supply up to 1 million households for a year, officials said.

A Call to ‘Pull Together’

“It’s time for Californians to pull together once again to save water,” California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot said in a statement.

He urged residents to limit their use, whether by limiting outdoor watering, checking for leaks, or taking shorter showers and turning off the water when washing dishes or brushing teeth.

Newsom’s declaration directs the State Water Board to consider changing the rules for reservoir releases and water diversions to keep more water upstream later this year to maintain more water supply, improve water quality and protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead.

41 Counties Now Covered by Declaration

Last month, Newsom declared an emergency in just two counties north of San Francisco — Mendocino and Sonoma. The expanded declaration added 39 counties to the existing declaration from Siskiyou County, on the California-Oregon border, to Kern County.

The full list: Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Trinity, Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba counties.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Nakisha Dennice Warwick

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Garnet Fire Burns Nearly 14,000 Acres in Sierra National Forest

DON'T MISS

Israel Steps up Bombardment of Gaza City, Kills 16 People Around Enclave, Medics Say

DON'T MISS

Fresno vs. Clovis: Which City Is Cheaper to Live in Right Now?

DON'T MISS

Europeans Launch UN Sanctions Process Against Iran, Drawing Tehran Ire

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Labor Day Weekend

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Investigating Shooting at Jack’s Gas

DON'T MISS

Enjoy a Meal at Fresno’s Lazy Dog and Support Valley Crime Stoppers

DON'T MISS

White House Fires Member of Railroad-Regulating Surface Transportation Board

UP NEXT

Fresno County Garnet Fire Burns Nearly 14,000 Acres in Sierra National Forest

UP NEXT

Fresno vs. Clovis: Which City Is Cheaper to Live in Right Now?

UP NEXT

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Labor Day Weekend

UP NEXT

Enjoy a Meal at Fresno’s Lazy Dog and Support Valley Crime Stoppers

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal Stabbing

UP NEXT

Kim Harvey Named Executive Producer of ‘CBS Evening News’

UP NEXT

Think You Can’t Afford College? Go Online and Get a CalKIDS Scholarship

UP NEXT

US CDC Director Ousted Weeks Into Job

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Mario Garcia

UP NEXT

Did Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Commit Arson? Feds Lay Out Their Case

Israel Steps up Bombardment of Gaza City, Kills 16 People Around Enclave, Medics Say

47 minutes ago

Fresno vs. Clovis: Which City Is Cheaper to Live in Right Now?

54 minutes ago

Europeans Launch UN Sanctions Process Against Iran, Drawing Tehran Ire

1 hour ago

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Labor Day Weekend

1 hour ago

Visalia Police Investigating Shooting at Jack’s Gas

2 hours ago

Enjoy a Meal at Fresno’s Lazy Dog and Support Valley Crime Stoppers

2 hours ago

White House Fires Member of Railroad-Regulating Surface Transportation Board

2 hours ago

In Chicago, Locals Prepare for Trump’s Possible Deployment of National Guard

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Suspect in Fatal Stabbing

2 hours ago

Kim Harvey Named Executive Producer of ‘CBS Evening News’

2 hours ago

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

A Delta Air Lines passenger says he was slapped by a flight attendant on a flight to Fresno and is seeking $20 million for fear and humiliat...

18 minutes ago

Photo of Delta airplane
18 minutes ago

Fresno-Bound Passenger Says Delta Attendant Slapped Him, Seeks $20M

Nakisha Dennice Warwick is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for August 28, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
26 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Nakisha Dennice Warwick

The Garnet Fire, burning nearly 14,000 acres in Fresno County’s Sierra National Forest since August 24 with zero containment, continues to spread northward as nearly 1,000 firefighters work to protect structures and slow its growth as of Thursday, August
35 minutes ago

Fresno County Garnet Fire Burns Nearly 14,000 Acres in Sierra National Forest

Palestinians gather near a cemetery as smoke rises following an explosion during an Israeli operation in Gaza City, August 28, 2025. (reuters/Dawoud Abu Alkas)
47 minutes ago

Israel Steps up Bombardment of Gaza City, Kills 16 People Around Enclave, Medics Say

Fresno vs. Clovis cost of living
54 minutes ago

Fresno vs. Clovis: Which City Is Cheaper to Live in Right Now?

Satellite image shows buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, before Israel launched an attack on Iran targeting nuclear facilities, in Isfahan, Iran May 17, 2025. (Reuters File)
1 hour ago

Europeans Launch UN Sanctions Process Against Iran, Drawing Tehran Ire

1 hour ago

Fresno Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Labor Day Weekend

Visalia police are investigating a shooting at Jack’s Gas after a fight broke out Wednesday, August 27, 2025, night, though no injuries were reported. (Visalia PD)
2 hours ago

Visalia Police Investigating Shooting at Jack’s Gas

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend