Finally, an end to drought emergency for California

Following one of the wettest winters on record, California Governor Jerry Brown declares an end to the state’s drought emergency, lifting orders that forced residents to limit their water use.

The announcement today ends Brown’s 2014 emergency declaration during California’s driest four-year period on record.

Monster storms this Winter erased nearly all signs of drought, blanketing the Sierra Nevada with deep snow. The Sierra Nevada is California’s key water source. The snowpack helped boost reservoirs to normal levels.

“This drought emergency is over, but the next drought could be around the corner,” Brown said in a statement. “Conservation must remain a way of life.”

The governor lifted the drought emergency in all California counties except Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne, where emergency drinking water projects will continue to help address diminished groundwater supplies.

Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Board, says the governor’s move doesn’t end water conservation in California.

Susan Atkins of the charity Self-Help Enterprises says the drought isn’t over for hundreds of families with dry wells who still live on bottled water.