Newson declares drought emergency in two California counties

The governor said he is not prepared to order a state mandate, despite pressure from certain sectors to do so . According to your administration, a more specific approach is preferable

Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

The governor Gavin Newsom declared this Wednesday from the dry shore of Lake Mendocino a flood emergency in two Northern California counties: Mendocino and Sonoma.

The Governor’s statement gives state regulators more power to reduce deviations in the Russian River basin and relax the flow standards of the river that would require more water from the already damaged reservoirs in the region, as published Los Angeles Times .

“Where I am stopped, should

be at 40 feet underwater of Lake Mendocino “, writes the governor in his Twitter account next to a photograph where the e n said lake. Instead, I’m on dry, cracked ground. That is climate change “, he explains to share the news that he has declared a state of emergency in Mendocino and Sonoma to” immediately increase resistance to drought. “

Where I’m standing I should be 40 ft under the water of Lake Mendocino.

Instead– I’m on dry, cracked earth. That’s climate change.

Today I declared a drought conditions state of emergency in Mendocino & Sonoma to immediately increase drought resilience. https://t.co/oUOQtd8bVr pic.twitter.com/v3BClCH7K3

– Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) April 21, 2016

Some sectors have pressured Newsom to declare a statewide drought emergency, but his administration prefers a more specific approach to the situation as they allege the state’s water supplies vary across the length and breadth of California. The governor said that is not prepared to launch a state mandate .

Newsom also said that the use of water in urban centers has been reduced by 16% since 2013 , the eve of the last great drought. The governor praised Californians saying that they “have a conservation mentality.”

The counties worst affected by the drought are precisely Mendocino and Sonoma because there the water supply depends on the rains in the Russian river basin , according to the Times.

After two consecutive winters without rain, the region’s reservoirs are in worse condition than during the severe drought between 2012 Y 2016 . The main water district estimates that both Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino could reach historically low levels by October.