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Environment

California Drought Task Force Says Recent Storms Not Enough

The California Drought Task Force says it would have to rain almost non-stop for the next couple of months to bring an end to the drought.

Compare the current level of California's reservoirs to their maximum capacity and view their historical levels to date.

Richard Stapler with the California Natural Resources Agency says the recent stormy weather just wasn’t enough.

“It has barely made a dent in what California requires for any given year,” says Stapler. “We’ve had two previous very dry years. This year we’re in record territory as far as lack of precipitation.”

Stapler says the latest snowpack measurements are at just 20-percent of normal for this time of year.

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Drought-stricken farmers will get state and federal help to drill groundwater wells.

The state will also temporarily order northern reservoirs to preserve more water than usual. That would allow fresh water to continue through the San Francisco Bay Delta. People, fish and animals depend on that water.