​Gov. Newsom Declares Drought Emergency For San Mateo County

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday extended an emergency drought proclamation to include nine additional counties including San Mateo.

San Mateo was among three Bay Area counties added to the proclamation that now includes 50 of the state’s 58 counties. Marin and Santa Clara counties are the others.

It’s not clear what impact, if any, the declaration will have, but it gives the state expanded power including the ability to restrict the rights of some water users and the suspension of environmental regulations.

Newsom made the announcement, which included a request that all state residents voluntarily reduce consumption by 15 percent, in San Luis Obispo County near a parched Lopez Lake.

“We are now two years into a drought, having just come out of a five-year drought that concluded just a few years ago,” Newsom said.

“Arguably, we have been in drought conditions as far back as 2000, not only here in the state of California, but all throughout the west coast of the United States."

Newsom signed the initial proclamation in April to declare a drought emergency in Sonoma and Mendocino counties in light of historically low water levels in the Russian River watershed.

The proclamation "allows the ability for local water agencies as well as our state partners to be more efficient and effective in terms of moving to address issues in real time, in essence clearing away a lot of the hurdles," Newsom said Thursday.

The water conservation order is voluntary for now, Newsom said, suggesting that state residents take small measures like reducing their time in the shower and washing more dishes and laundry in one load.

The order also applies to commercial and agricultural operations, which use significantly more water than common at-home appliances.

Newsom noted that the state will face the challenge that agricultural irrigation systems often don't even have meters to measure water usage.

Newsom’s announcement came as some of the state’s largest reservoirs are nearing historically low levels.

Lake Oroville is at 30 percent of capacity and if it gets much lower may trigger the closing of a hydroelectric plant later this year, The Associated Press reports.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor's most recent reporting, the vast majority of California was in an "extreme drought."

As of July 6, 94.7 percent of California was in a severe drought, 85.4 percent of the state in an extreme drought and 33.2 percent of the state is experiencing "exceptional drought" conditions, the agency said.

“This is jaw-dropping, what’s happening in the West Coast of the United States,” Newsom said.

State Senator Josh Becker, who represents parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, issued a statement echoing Newsom’s call for conservation.

“Water is a precious essential resource,” Becker said.

“With San Mateo and Santa Clara counties now included in the Governor’s emergency drought proclamation, we all must take steps to ensure we are conserving water and doing our utmost to further water resilience,” Senator Becker said.

— Bay City News contributed to this report