Rachel Becker
CalMatters
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a drought emergency for parched water systems along the Russian River watershed that serve hundreds of thousands of people in two Northern California counties.
The emergency declaration will allow state agencies to consider relaxing some requirements for reservoir releases, allowing more water to be stored in reservoirs serving Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
Most of the state is suffering severe drought conditions due to low rainfall and snowpack, but state water officials said that the other regions aren’t hit hard enough yet to declare a statewide emergency.
Standing on the edge of Lake Mendocino, a rain-fed reservoir rimmed with a cracked crust of mud, Newsom said he is preparing statewide by calling for a range of actions, such as improved monitoring of groundwater pumping and reporting of dry wells to the state.