For five years, the state of California endured significantly less rain than normal. It drastically reduced the water supply of Los Angeles and forced the whole state to impose strict limits on water use, writes The Los Angeles Times, but last week, Gov. Jerry Brown officially declared the drought over.
Last winter, Northern California started to see an uptick in rain, and then this winter, that region had one of the wettest seasons on record and Southern California also experienced more rain. Now reservoirs have been re-filled and soil levels saturated to levels not seen since before the drought, writes the Times.
However, Brown said in a statement that conservation “must remain a way of life” because the next drought “could be around the corner.” Though Brown’s executive order lifts the drought emergency in all California counties save a few, the state is maintaining a ban on wasteful practices, such as hosing off sidewalks. Brown is also still pushing his plan to build two giant tunnels to send Northern California water southward, reports the Times.
Another lasting impact is the amount of dead trees in the state, which numbers roughly 102 million, according to a federal study. The lack of rain put California’s trees under “considerable stress,” so they are more susceptible to diseases or other factors that can kill them.
Check out some of the images that compare the state during and after the drought.
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