LOS ANGELES _ California's snowpack is at 184 percent of average for this time of year, and 127 percent of the April 1 average _ typically the year's high point.
A state reservoir in Oroville, once a symbol of the state's brutal drought, is actually eroding due to so much runoff from fall and winter rains. Meanwhile, roads are closed in Marin and Santa Cruz counties due to floods and rockslides, while residents along riverbanks in the Sacramento Valley are preparing for possible floods.
Despite all this, the State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday held firm in the face of opposition and extended the state's emergency drought regulations, pledging to revisit them in May, when the state's traditional rainy season has ended.
"We're certainly well-situated compared to previous years, but we've learned things can change suddenly. Warm rain or higher temperatures can quickly degrade snowpack," said board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus.
As it did last May, the board found Wednesday that it was still too early to lift emergency rules that limit urban water use and mandate that municipal water agencies provide monthly reports on their water reserves, supply and demand.
"Many parts of the state are still in pain, but a lot fewer," Marcus said.
The board decided last spring that local water districts were allowed to set their own savings targets based on water supply and demand forecasts tailored to their areas. That means that places that received a lot of rain _ and communities that purchase or are entitled to water from sources there _ see fewer restrictions, while dry areas without water from those replenished supplies are still under conservation requirements.
Much of Northern California is out of drought thanks to one of the wettest seasons on record. Southern California has also seen record rainfall, but parts of the Central Coast and Central Valley remain in drought.
Groundwater shortages remain in many areas, including the southern Central Valley.
