The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that California is drought-free for the first time in 25 years.California’s water management has improved following recent winter storms. The largest reservoir in the State Water Project, Lake Oroville, has risen 82 feet and captured more than 930,000 acre-feet of water since Dec. 20.Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water resilience strategy aims to balance water supply and environmental protection throughout the state.“California’s water strategy is working,” Gov. Newsom said. “We’re not just managing for today’s conditions—we’re building a system that can handle whatever our changing climate throws at us. That means capturing rainwater when storms hit, storing it for dry seasons, and protecting communities from floods. This is how California, a state of nearly 40 million people, leads.”The Newsom administration is working to expand California’s underground water storage enough to supply more than 4.5 million homes for a year.California committed $219 million to the Sites Reservoir project to build long-term resilience. Sites Reservoir is expected to capture water from the Sacramento River during wet seasons and store it for use during drier seasons.See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that California is drought-free for the first time in 25 years.

California’s water management has improved following recent winter storms. The largest reservoir in the State Water Project, Lake Oroville, has risen 82 feet and captured more than 930,000 acre-feet of water since Dec. 20.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s water resilience strategy aims to balance water supply and environmental protection throughout the state.

“California’s water strategy is working,” Gov. Newsom said. “We’re not just managing for today’s conditions—we’re building a system that can handle whatever our changing climate throws at us. That means capturing rainwater when storms hit, storing it for dry seasons, and protecting communities from floods. This is how California, a state of nearly 40 million people, leads.”

The Newsom administration is working to expand California’s underground water storage enough to supply more than 4.5 million homes for a year.

California committed $219 million to the Sites Reservoir project to build long-term resilience. Sites Reservoir is expected to capture water from the Sacramento River during wet seasons and store it for use during drier seasons.

See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel