OROVILLE, California: Summer has not even begun and Lake Oroville, the second-largest reservoir in California that provides drinking water to more than 25 million people, is at less than half of its average capacity at this time of year.
Since May 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency linked to drought in more than 40 counties. Conditions in Butte County, where Lake Oroville is located, are already seen as"extreme," the highest level. On average, Northern California gets two-thirds of the state's total precipitation, but this year has been particularly bad.
The waters contained by Oroville Dam, the tallest in the United States at 235m, will not dry up that quickly, but at the end of the so-called dry season the lake is expected to be at its lowest level recorded since September 1977.After two years with very little precipitation, and with no assurances that upcoming seasons will be any better, water restrictions are the next step.
Another serious consequence of the drought: the increased risk of wildfires, which is particularly worrying for authorities in a region that has been repeatedly devastated in recent years by massive forest blazes.
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