Apr 4, 2016

No, California's Drought isn't Over. Here's Why Easing the Drought Rules Would be a Big Mistake

Folsom Lake, California
El Dorado County, CA
USA
by
Michael Hiltzik
,
Los Angeles Times
After months of El Niño rainfall, Folsom Lake became so full that excess water was being released over Folsom Dam, above. But reservoirs in Central and Southern California remain well below their averages. Photo: Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times
After months of El Niño rainfall, Folsom Lake became so full that excess water was being released over Folsom Dam, above. But reservoirs in Central and Southern California remain well below their averages. Photo: Brian van der Brug, Los Angeles Times

Policymakers are getting the uneasy feeling that public impressions of newfound abundance could undo much of the progress of the last few years. "Droughts are really a matter of signals," Jeanine Jones, deputy drought manager for the California Department of Water Resources, told me. "When it has rained a lot, people get comfortable."

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