California's drought recovery and restrictions

Montague, Ca — A day after California Governor Jerry Brown announced mandatory water restrictions we’re getting a clearer look at how bad California’s drought really is.

2014 was one of the worst water years ever for the City of Montague, the water supply reduced to a trickle within city limits.

One week this February changed everything and now Montague is looking to get back on it’s feet as the rest of the state struggles to conserve.

Rob Jochim is a rancher in Northern California. He knows as well as anyone how a drought can devastate a community.

“A lot of guys lost a lot of crops, hay’s gone, the grass stands have diminished substantially,” said Jochim.

Jochim also manages the Montague Water District which monitors water levels in Lake Shastina, the main source of water for the City of Montague.

“Oh, It’s crucial to our whole valley here, that’s what we’re all Ag based, lot of hay a lot of cattle,” said Jochim.

During the historic 2014 drought water levels were only 25 percent of average. After a February 2015 storm, those numbers are looking much better.

“Last year at this time there was about 8500 acre feet in Lake Shastina, this year there’s about 30,000 acre feet,” said Chris Tyhurst with the City of Montague.

The forecast is much more grim to the south.

“People need to realize we’re in a new era, the time of watering your grass every day, that’s a thing of the past,” said Governor Jerry Brown.

California Governor Brown is asking residents to reduce urban potable water usage by 25 percent, a small amount compared to the demands of last year’s drought in Montague.

“Montague got so use to that last year that a 20 percent cut back compared to a 75 percent cut back that’ll be a pretty easy thing to manage,” said Tyhurst.

The road back from drought isn’t easy, says Jochim, and he understands how important water is to his city and his state.

“It’ll be a few years before everybody is back to full production again, that’s if we have normal years, or even enough to fill our ponds.”

The Montague city council is working on plans to meet the Governor’s new mandatory water use restrictions. They’re meeting Thursday to discuss the matter.