Source:
ReutersSnow study shows California faces historic droughtThu Jan 29, 2009 8:00pm EST
By Clare Baldwin
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A new survey of California
winter snows on Thursday showed the most populous
state is facing one of the worst droughts in its history,
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said.
The state, which produces about half the United States'
vegetables and fruit, is in its third year of drought and
its main system supplying water to cities and farms may
only be able to fulfill 15 percent of requests,
scientists said.
The snowpack on California's mountains is carrying only
61 percent of the water of normal years, according to the
survey by the state Department of Water Resources. Last
year the snowpack held 111 percent of the normal amount
of water, but spring was the driest ever recorded.
"California is headed toward one of the worst water crises
in its history, underscoring the need to upgrade our water
infrastructure by increasing water storage, improving
conveyance, protecting the (Sacramento) Delta's
ecosystem and promoting greater water conservation,"
Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE50S7NK20090130