Governor declares drought in California

SACRAMENTO, June 4 (UPI) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared Wednesday that California, after two years of below-average rainfall and snow, is in a drought.

The governor signed an executive order that directs the Department of Water Resources to transfer water to the areas with the biggest shortages. The order also calls for a speed-up of grants to local districts for conservation programs and directs the department to work with federal and local agencies to coordinate water supplies.

"For the areas in Northern California that supply most of our water, this March, April and May have been the driest ever in our recorded history," Schwarzenegger said. "As a result, some local governments are rationing water, developments can't proceed and agricultural fields are sitting idle."

Last month, the department's final snowpack survey found that the winter snow in the Sierras was only 67 percent of normal and runoff is expected to be 55 percent of normal.

Schwarzenegger said that California needs to improve its infrastructure so that water in wet periods can be captured for use in droughts.