Last Friday California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued a state of emergency because of the state’s water crisis. He gave directions on how to prepare for drought conditions caused by the shortage of water.

According to a press release on this announcement, “state water officials say that California’s river and reservoirs are below their record lows. Manual and electronic readings record the snowpack’s statewide water content at about 20 percent of normal average for this time of year.”

Governor Brown urged state officials to help farmers and communities that are affected by the dry conditions economically and to make sure they can react correctly if the state faces any drinking water shortages.

We have a drought fact page available that includes helpful information on defining what drought is, measuring and monitoring it and coping with it.