Brown Declares End to California Drought

Brown Declares End to California Drought

by Dan Bacher

Since 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger repeatedly used wildly inflated claims of a "drought" to campaign for the peripheral canal and new dams to facilitate the export of California Delta water to corporate agribusiness and southern California water agencies.

Schwarzenegger and the agribusiness lobby also used the "drought" and the alleged creation of a "New Dust Bowl" on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley as a major talking point in attacking the federal government plans (biological opinions) to protect Central Valley steelhead, Sacramento River winter and spring-run chinook salmon, green sturgeon, Delta smelt and the southern resident population of killer whales from extinction.

Now Schwarzenegger's successor, Jerry Brown, today finally proclaimed the official end of the drought.

"Following significant increases in statewide rainfall and mountain snowpack this season, Governor Jerry Brown today proclaimed an end to the state’s drought, but urged Californians to keep conserving water as we move into the spring and summer months," according to statement from the Governor's office.

“While this season’s storms have lifted us out of the drought, it’s critical that Californians continue to watch their water use,” Brown said. “Drought or no drought, demand for water in California always outstrips supply. Continued conservation is key.”

Brown said today’s announcement follows the fourth snow survey of the season, conducted by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), which found that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is 165 percent of the April 1 full season average.

A majority of the state’s major reservoirs are also above normal storage levels. Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project’s principal reservoir, is 104 percent of average for the date (80 percent of its 3.5 million acre-foot capacity).

Lake Shasta north of Redding, the federal Central Valley Project’s largest reservoir with a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet, is at 111 percent of average (91 percent of capacity).

DWR estimates it will be able to deliver 70 percent of requested State Water Project (SWP) water this year. The estimate likely will be adjusted upward as hydrologists make adjustments for snowpack and runoff readings.

"Given the heavy water inflow from the series of storms that have swept across California, the state’s flood managers are monitoring high river flows and making flood control releases from reservoirs to maintain storage space," Brown noted.

Governor Brown’s Proclamation officially rescinds Executive Order S-06-08, issued by Schwarzenegger on June 4, 2008 and ends the States of Emergency called by Schwarzenegger on June 12, 2008, and on February 27, 2009.

Now that Brown has officially declared the drought over, corporate agribusiness, southern California water agencies and their political allies will no longer have the "drought" to use in their fear-based campaign to build the peripheral canal/tunnel and new dams, to strip Endangered Species Act protections from Central Valley salmon and Delta fish and to increase export pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

Now that the drought is officially over, they will have to use a new excuse for building the peripheral canal and new dams at a time when California is in its greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. What will be their new battle cry in their campaign to build the canal and new surface storage: the "urgent" need to stop the threat of catastrophic flooding from too much water going down the Central Valley and other rivers? Will their new slogan be: "Prevent Flooding: Build the Peripheral Canal And New Dams"?

For additional information on California’s water supply, please visit the Department of Water Resources website at: http://www.water.ca.gov.

The Governor’s proclamation, signed today, is copied below:

A PROCLAMATION BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

WHEREAS on June 4, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger issued Executive Order S-06-08, which proclaimed a statewide drought, and ordered executive branch entities to take immediate action to address the water shortage; and,

WHEREAS on June 12, 2008, Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed a State of Emergency for nine Central Valley counties because the drought had caused conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property; and,

WHEREAS on February 27, 2009, Governor Schwarzenegger proclaimed a State of Emergency for the entire state as the severe drought conditions continued and the impacts were well beyond the Central Valley; and,

WHEREAS the Department of Water Resources today conducted the fourth snow survey of the season and found that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is 165 percent of the season average; and,

WHEREAS a majority of California’s major reservoirs are above normal storage levels; and,

WHEREAS Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s principal reservoir, is 104 percent of average, and Lake Shasta, the federal Central Valley Project’s largest reservoir, is at 111 percent of average; and,

WHEREAS the Department of Water Resources estimates it will be able to deliver 70 percent of the requested State Water Project water this year, and this estimate is likely to be adjusted upward after additional snowpack and runoff readings; and,

WHEREAS I am advised by the appropriate agencies of the State of California that current conditions warrant the termination of Executive Order S-06-08 and ending the States of Emergency called on June 12, 2008, and on February 27, 2009.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the statutes of the State of California, do hereby PROCLAIM THE DROUGHT TO BE AT AN END.

I FURTHER DIRECT that state and public agencies cease all further activities in reliance on Executive Order S-06-08 and the States of Emergency called on June 12, 2008, and February 27, 2009, and that Executive Order S-06-08 and the drought State of Emergency proclamations are terminated.

IT IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED that all Californians continue to minimize water usage and engage in water conservation efforts.

I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this proclamation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 30th day of March 2011.


____________________________________
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor of California


ATTEST:



____________________________________
DEBRA BOWEN
Secretary of State



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