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California Drought

California is experiencing the worst drought in its history, and the effects are being felt nationwide. Thus water issues have taken center stage in much of our reporting and the nation's.As the New York Times says, "Water has long been a precious resource in California, the subject of battles pitting farmer against city-dweller and northern communities against southern ones; books and movies have been made about its scarcity and plunder. Water is central to the state’s identity and economy, and a symbol of how wealth and ingenuity have tamed nature ..."As we continue through a fourth year of extreme drought conditions, you'll find all of our reporting on the related issues (and that of NPR and other member stations) in this centralized place.

Californians Saved 29% More Water In May

North State Public Radio | By Ed Joyce

Published July 2, 2015 at 12:29 PM PDT

The State Water Resources Control Board says Californians achieved their best conservation yet, cutting water use 29 percent in May compared to two years ago.

According to the state report, locally — as compared to May 2013 — Chico cut water use by 38 percent; Oroville by 41 percent; Paradise and Willows by 44 percent; Redding 34 percent; and Red Bluff 25 percent.

The board says rain in parts of the state likely drove the May water savings. But the rain did nothing to ease drought conditions.

Gov. Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency in 2014 and things have gotten worse.

In April, Brown ordered a 25 percent mandatory reduction in urban water use.

The Sierra Nevada snowpack normally melts in the spring and summer, providing about 30 percent of state water needs. But in April, the state said the snowpack was virtually gone.

This story was produced by Capital Public Radio with information contributed by NSPR.