[californiadisasters] Governor To Declare End To Drought

Gov. Jerry Brown plans to make an announcement after all this rain

By Julie Brayton and Jonathan Lloyd

KNBC-TV Los Angeles

Tuesday, Mar 29, 2011 | Updated 9:59 AM PDT

For much of the month of March, rain came pounding down on Southern California, causing car accidents, floods and all around general misery.

But on the bright side, the state's water reserves are now so full, reports say Gov. Jerry Brown plans to officially announce the end of the drought on Wednesday.

California suffered through drier-than-normal years in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In February 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought.

But now the snow pack is 165-percent of normal, which is important because much of California's summer water supply comes from melting snow. Officials are waiting for completion of the state's final snow survey, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

"We are looking at a good water supply year as we prepare for this summer's peak demand period," said Mark Cowin, the state's water resources director. "This is great news, so long as we can control floodwaters. Our up-and-down cycles -- drought followed by flood threats -- remind us that assuring an adequate water supply is always a juggling act, and we can't afford to forget the lessons of conservation."

Still, the governor's office said in a statement Monday that it is critical that Californians continue to conserve water.

The Los Angeles Times reported the drought ended from a hydrological perspective last year. But state officials said they wanted to wait until reservoir storage recovered.

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/California-Drought-Almost-Officially-Over-118822704.html?__source=Newsletter-Daily

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