Santa Rosa Ends Drought Emergency After Receiving Abundant Rainfall
Santa Rosa, a city in California, has announced an end to its ongoing drought emergency due to abundant rainfall received since October.
The city received 33 inches of rain, which is equivalent to four years of water supply.
Water department director Jennifer Burke expressed her relief, stating that the community no longer needs to reduce water use by 20 percent or have a water shortage emergency in place.
Most of Santa Rosa’s water comes from Lake Sonoma Reservoir, which was at its lowest level in history last fall but is now essentially full.
The U.S Army Corps of Engineers has begun releasing water from the dam spillway to make room for more rainfall expected next week.
The rapid increase in water levels has been significant, with the lake at its highest level since June of 2019.
Although 64 percent of California is now drought-free, officials are still urging residents to use water wisely despite the abundance of water supply.
The end of the drought emergency in Santa Rosa is welcome news for the community, which has experienced water shortage issues for some time.
The impact of back-to-back winter storms has been a game-changer, with officials now able to breathe a sigh of relief as the city’s water supply is secure for the next four years.
