Drought in California, July 1 to 31, 2021

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor did not make changes to Zone 13 which covers northwestern Shasta County. The majority of zone 13 was in exceptional drought (D4) with the remaining areas of Zone 13 in extreme drought (D3). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season given the rapid spread and community impacts from the Salt Fire that started near Lakehead, CA. Drought preparedness is a top priority given back-to-back dry years. All of Zone 13 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The countywide drought emergency declared by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in June continues, including the water conservation program. As of July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Concern was noted that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall. Region wide water theft has also been reported.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor continued to have zone 14 in both extreme and exceptional drought (D3 and D4) with some expansion of D4 in the southwestern part of the Zone which covers northeast Shasta County. They mentioned that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. All of zone 14 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The countywide drought emergency declared by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in June continues, including the water conservation program. On July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Region-wide water theft has also been reported.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor kept all of zone 15, which includes portions of Shasta and Tehama counties, in exceptional drought (D4). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. Some of the impacts the region saw included: reduced forage, decreased stock weights, selling of livestock, livestock stress, reduced grazing on public lands, reduced market price for cattle, and increased pricing for small grain and hay crops. The area also saw: decreased water allocation, hauling of water, increased groundwater use, land subsidence, low to dry rivers/ponds/springs, dry wells, and installation of new wells. All of zone 15 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The countywide drought emergency declared by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in June continues, including the water conservation program. As of July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 14th the Tehama County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency resolution Tuesday that would allow residents with dry wells to purchase water directly from the county. Farmers planted about 100,000 fewer acres of rice in the Sacramento Valley, leading to less food and increased potential for disease for birds migrating through the Pacific Flyway. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Concern was noted that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall. Region wide water theft has also been reported. Drought has also reduced California’s almond harvest by 13%.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor continued to have all of zone 16 in exceptional drought (D4). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. Some of the impacts to the region included: continued removal of houseboats from Lake Oroville, reduced forage, decreased water allocation, decreased stock weights, selling of livestock, completely dry wells, hauling water, and low to dry rivers/ponds/springs. All of zone 16 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. On July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 1st the Nevada Irrigation District approved a mandatory 20 percent water-use reduction for both raw and treated water customers. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. Starting on July 12th Glenn County will be hosting a series of bottled water distribution events for residents impacted by dry wells. On July 21st a 45-day moratorium on agricultural well drilling was unanimously approved in Glenn County as domestic wells went dry. On July 21st Butte county declared a drought emergency in the county. By July 23rd The Office of Emergency Services reported 117 dry wells, 75% of which were family homes. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Concern was noted that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall. Region-wide water theft has also been reported. By July 23rd, all paved boat ramps on Lake Oroville were closed due to low water levels. Concern that the hydro electric power plant on Lake Oroville may also be shut down due to the low lake levels was also noted. Drought has also reduced California’s almond harvest by 13%. Farmers planted about 100,000 fewer acres of rice in the Sacramento Valley, leading to less food and increased potential for disease for birds migrating through the Pacific Flyway. Ranchers are also seeing 10-25% reduction in herds due to feed shortages.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor continued to have all of zone 17, which includes portions Yolo, Solano, Sutter, and Sacramento County in exceptional drought (D4). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. The area saw: reduced forage, decreased water allocation, decreased stock weights, selling of livestock, hauling of water, low rivers/ponds/springs, and installation of new wells. All of zone 17 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. On July 1st the Nevada Irrigation District approved a mandatory 20 percent water-use reduction for both raw and treated water customers. On July 7th, the city of Sacramento asked residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce their water use by 10 percent. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. On July 28th a local drought emergency has been proclaimed in Yolo County after one-fifth of the county’s wells reached an all-time low. Concern was noted that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall. Region-wide water theft has also been reported. Drought has also reduced California’s almond harvest by 13%. Farmers planted about 100,000 fewer acres of rice in the Sacramento Valley, leading to less food and increased potential for disease for birds migrating through the Pacific Flyway. Ranchers are seeing 10-25% reduction in herds due to feed shortages. The waters of Folsom Lake receded low enough to reveal Mormon Island, a Gold Rush village, settled in the 1840s by prospectors.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor kept all of zone 18 in exceptional drought (D4). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. Farmers north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta will continue to receive no water from the Central Valley Project. All of zone 18 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The Delta cross channel gates remain closed. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Concern was noted that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall. Region-wide water theft has also been reported. Drought has also reduced California’s almond harvest by 13%. Farmers planted about 100,000 fewer acres of rice in the Sacramento Valley, leading to less food and increased potential for disease for birds migrating through the Pacific Flyway. Ranchers are seeing 10-25% reduction in herds due to feed shortages.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor put the majority of Zone 19 in exceptional drought (D4) with only a small portion of the far southwestern part of Stanislaus County of Zone 19 in extreme drought (D3). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. All of zone 19 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. On July 23rd farmers reported plowing under wheat crop due to no water access. Ranchers are seeing 10-25% reduction in herds due to feed shortages. Region-wide water theft has also been reported. Drought has also reduced California’s almond harvest by 13%.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor continued exceptional drought (D4) for roughly half of zone 63, which covers western Tehama, Glenn, and Colusa counties, and increased all of the remaining portion of the Zone to extreme drought (D3). They continue to mention that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. All of zone 63 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The countywide drought emergency declared by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in June continues, including the water conservation program. On July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. Starting on July 12th Glenn County will be hosting a series of bottled water distribution events for residents impacted by dry wells. On July 21st a 45-day moratorium on agricultural well drilling was unanimously approved in Glenn County as domestic wells went dry. On July 14th the Tehama County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency resolution Tuesday that would allow residents with dry wells to purchase water directly from the county. Region-wide water theft has also been reported. Ranchers also reported a 10-25% reduction in herds due to feed shortages.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor placed all of Zone 66 in exceptional drought (D4), which covers the northeast foothills and portions of the Sacramento Valley. They mentioned that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. All of zone 66 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The countywide drought emergency declared by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in June continues, including the water conservation program. On July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 14th the Tehama County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency resolution Tuesday that would allow residents with dry wells to purchase water directly from the county. On July 21st Butte county declared a drought emergency in the county. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Region-wide water theft has also been reported. Ranchers are seeing 10-25% reduction in herds due to feed shortages.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor placed all of Zone 67 in exceptional drought (D4), which covers the Motherlode. They mentioned that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. The area continued to see: reduced forage, decreased water allocation, decreased stock weights, and hauling of water. All of zone 67 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. On July 1st the Nevada Irrigation District approved a mandatory 20 percent water-use reduction for both raw and treated water customers. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Region-wide water theft has also been reported.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor included most of Zone 68 in exceptional drought with includes the eastern portions of Tehama, Butte and Shasta counties (Lassen National Park) and western Plumas County. Extreme drought (D3) continued for the remainder of Zone 68, which covers west central Plumas County. They mentioned that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. All of zone 68 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. The countywide drought emergency declared by the Shasta County Board of Supervisors in June continues, including the water conservation program. On July 1st the Nevada Irrigation District approved a mandatory 20 percent water-use reduction for both raw and treated water customers. As of July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 14th the Tehama County Board of Supervisors approved an emergency resolution Tuesday that would allow residents with dry wells to purchase water directly from the county. On July 21st Butte county declared a drought emergency in the county. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Region-wide water theft has also been reported.

For the month of July, the U.S. Drought Monitor placed roughly half of zone 69 in exceptional drought (D4), which covers the upper foothills into the west slope of the Sierra Nevada. The higher elevations of the eastern portions of the continued remained in extreme drought (D3). They mentioned that we will see drought impacts expand into the summer, including but not limited too: agriculture, water supplies, recreation, and ecosystems. They also noted concern for the wildfire season and that drought preparedness is key given back-to-back dry years. All of zone 69 is in the official drought emergency proclamation. On July 1st, fire restrictions on public lands were put in place until further notice. On July 8th, the Governor of California asked for all Californian's including businesses, to voluntarily reduce water usage by 15%. On July 23rd, the State Water Resources Control Board released an emergency curtailment order that would deprive thousands of farmers of the use of rivers and streams in the Sacramento river watershed that would likely go into effect in August. Region-wide water theft has also been reported.