|
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
<br />STATE OF CALIFORNIA
<br />EXECUTIVE ORDER N-5-23
<br />WHEREAS on April 21, 2021, May 10, 2021, July 8, 2021, and October 19,
<br />2021, I proclaimed States of Emergency to exist due to drought conditions; and
<br />WHEREAS the multi-year nature of the current drought, which began three
<br />years after the record-setting drought of 2012-2016, continues to have
<br />significant, immediate impacts on communities across California with vulnerable
<br />water supplies, farms that rely on irrigation to grow food and fiber, and fish and
<br />wildlife that rely on stream flows and cool water; and
<br />WHEREAS the March 3, 2023, snow survey conducted by the Department
<br />of Water Resources and partner agencies found that most regions of the Sierra
<br />Nevada are above average for snow water content, and some regions are
<br />nearing record amounts of snow, and snow and rain has fallen across many
<br />regions of the state since then, with more precipitation forecasted; and
<br />WHEREAS improved conditions have helped rehabilitate surface water
<br />supplies, but have not abated the severe drought conditions that remain in
<br />some parts of the State, including the Klamath River basin and the Colorado
<br />River basin, and many groundwater basins throughout the State remain
<br />depleted from overreliance and successive multi-year droughts; and
<br />WHEREAS continued action by the State is needed to address ongoing
<br />consequences of the drought emergency, including groundwater supply
<br />shortages, domestic well failures, and drought-related harm to native fishes in
<br />the Klamath River and Clear Lake watersheds; and
<br />WHEREAS the drought emergency has required a dynamic and flexible
<br />response from the State, and several provisions in my prior Proclamations and
<br />Orders have been terminated or superseded already, specifically Paragraphs 4
<br />and 8 of my State of Emergency Proclamation dated April 21, 202 l, Paragraphs
<br />2, 4, and 7 of my State of Emergency Proclamation dated May 10, 2021,
<br />Paragraphs 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 of my State of Emergency Proclamation dated July
<br />8, 2021, and Paragraph 9 of Executive Order N-7-22; and
<br />WHEREAS improved conditions warrant an even more targeted State
<br />response to the ongoing drought emergency and certain provisions in my State
<br />of Emergency Proclamations dated April 21, 202 l, May 10, 2021, July 8, 2021,
<br />and October 19, 2021, and in Executive Orders N-10-21, N-7-22, and N-3-23
<br />provide authority that is no longer needed to mitigate the effects of the drought
<br />conditions or direct actions by state agencies, departments, and boards that
<br />have already been completed; and
<br />WHEREAS notwithstanding the rescission of certain emergency authorities
<br />for emergency drinking water action, state agencies have existing legal
<br />authority and funding to continue expedited work to advance the human right
<br />to water, and state agencies will continue all ongoing drought resilience
<br />planning work, including through coordination with loca l agencies and tribes;
<br />and
|