Gov. Gavin Newsom Monday significantly expanded his April 21 drought emergency proclamation to include 39 additional counties across Northern and Central California.
The proclamation previously was limited to Mendocino and Sonoma counties, however after Monday’s announcement it now covers Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties.
In total, 41 counties and 30% of the state’s population is now officially under a drought state of emergency.
"With the reality of climate change abundantly clear in California, we’re taking urgent action to address acute water supply shortfalls in northern and central California while also building our water resilience to safeguard communities in the decades ahead," Gov. Newsom said in a news release. "We’re working with local officials and other partners to protect public health and safety and the environment, and call on all Californians to help meet this challenge by stepping up their efforts to save water."
The total list of additional counties now under the proclamation are as follows: Del Norte, Humboldt, Siskiyou, Trinity, Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tulare, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba counties.
The governor’s full emergency proclamation can be read here.
California has experienced "extraordinarily warm temperatures" in April and early May, leading to reduced expected water supplies by more than 500,000 acre feet for a year.
That would supply 1 million households with water for a year.
"It’s time for Californians to pull together once again to save water," said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. "All of us need to find every opportunity to save water where we can: limit outdoor watering, take shorter showers, turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. Homeowners, municipalities, and water diverters can help by addressing leaks and other types of water loss, which can account for over 30 percent of water use in some areas."
Gov. Newsom also called on the State Water Board to modify 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 enabled flexibilities in regulatory requirements and procurement processes to mitigate drought impacts.