Gov. Gavin Newsom drops drought emergency for Southern California and Bay Area

After two wet winters, 19 counties encompassing most of California's population have officially emerged from the drought emergency that has afflicted the state for the past three years.

On Wednesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued the executive order rolling back the restrictions.

"As this week's weather makes clear, California and the West experience extreme weather swings that exacerbate our water challenges and make it more important than ever that we build a climate-resilient water system," Newsom said.

The termination of emergency protocols applies to the nearly 20 counties along the state's coast and desert regions that 70% of residents call home. The guidelines still apply to the 39 counties surrounding areas where the drought remains a persistent problem, depleting groundwater supplies, causing domestic wells to fail, and harming native fish. This includes regions such as the Tulare Lake Basin, Sacramento, and San Joaquin River Basins, as well as several watersheds in Northern California.

The order builds upon the March 2023 action Newsom's office took to end some of the state's water restrictions following historic winter storms that lifted California from its driest years between 2020 and 2022. However, it keeps some provisions that allow state agencies to "future-proof" California's water supplies.

"This targeted action is responsive to current conditions while continuing the tools and support for work underway to help future-proof water supplies in the most impacted communities," Newsom said.

The drought state of emergency termination will apply to the following counties:

• Imperial
• Inyo
• Los Angeles
• Marin
• Mendocino
• Mono
• Monterey
• Orange
• Riverside
• San Bernardino
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Luis Obispo
• San Mateo
• Santa Barbara
• Santa Clara
• Santa Cruz
• Sonoma
• Ventura

Some provisions lifted by the order apply to wasteful water uses, such as washing cars, using decorative fountains and spraying down sidewalks.

Roughly 41.9% of California — mainly in the desert bordering Arizona and parts of Northern California — remains in the "abnormally dry" category, the second lowest classification on the list, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor . The region near the Oregon and Nevada borders, which accounts for about 6.9% of the state, stayed in the moderate drought category, according to the survey.

The California Department of Water Resources describes droughts in the state as a "recurring feature of our climate." Notable droughts afflicted California between 2012-2016, 2007-2009, 1987-1992, 1976-1977 and between 1920-1930.

The Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank, claimed climate change intensified droughts by shrinking snowfall and increasing evaporation. The drier weather could reduce California's water supply by up to 10% by 2040, according to Newsom.