Santa Barbara County has issued a proclamation of a drought emergency in the county.
Santa Barbara County Supervisors took the step this week, after Governor Gavin Newsom last week added the county to the list of those statewide falling under drought emergency status.
The declaration makes it easier for the county, and water agencies to take steps to deal with drought conditions. The emergency declaration also opens the door to state, and federal aid which could potentially become available.
Santa Barbara County’s rainfall this year as a whole is 48% of normal for the rainfall year. It’s only 27% of average in Carpinteria, 50% in Goleta, and 53% in Santa Maria.
The governor also added San Luis Obispo County to the drought emergency list. Ventura and Los Angeles Counties haven’t been included in the state’s drought emergency declaration. But, Ventura’s rain is at 24% of average for the season, and Thousand Oaks is at just 21% of average.
