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California Congress Members Support Governor Brown’s Drought Declaration, Urge State & Federal Action on Water Conservation, Recycling & Storage

January 17, 2014

Drought conditions in California. Red = extreme drought. Orange = severe drought.

Source: The National Drought Mitigation Center

CALIFORNIA – With California facing the lowest rainfall levels in its 153-year history as a state, Congress Members John Garamendi (CA-3), George Miller (CA-11), Mike Thompson (CA-5), Doris Matsui (CA-6), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Ami Bera (CA-7) today thanked Governor Jerry Brown for declaring a drought emergency in California. The Members noted that the Omnibus Appropriations Act, voted on this week and now on the President’s desk, restores the federal government’s emergency drought programs.

Given the dire nature of the state’s water resources, the Members urge the Governor to prioritize adding to the water supply – including water recycling, conservation, and storage – instead of pushing for a $25 billion water infrastructure project, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which threatens the Bay Delta ecosystem, farmers, fisheries, local communities, and other stakeholders that depend on a healthy Bay Delta.

The Members wrote:

“Governor Brown did the right thing in declaring a drought emergency today. The state is desperate for relief from these drought conditions, and the Governor’s prompt action helps. We can’t think of a clearer reason why the state and nation must invest in water recycling, conservation, and storage. These investments can create millions of gallons of new water for the state while creating good jobs. We urge the Governor to focus on creating new water through recycling, conservation, and storage in order to protect the state, family farms and businesses, and local municipalities that depend on a reliable water supply for their communities.”

63 percent of the state is now officially in an “extreme drought.” Click here for a map of the drought conditions in California.