A new study from the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences shows the current drought is the third most severe on record and is responsible for the greatest water loss ever seen in California agriculture.
The study was released during a press briefing this week in Washington, D.C., providing updates estimates on the drought’s effects on Central Valley farm production, presents new data on the state’s coastal and southern farm areas, and forecasts the drought’s economic fallout through 2016.
Speakers at the press conference were:
Study lead author Richard Howitt
UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences director Jay Lund
California Department of Food and Agriculture secretary Karen Ross