SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency Friday because of three years of below-average rain and snowfall in California, a step that urges urban water agencies to reduce water use by 20 percent. ‘This drought is having a devastating impact on our people, our communities, our economy and our environment, making today’s action absolutely necessary,’ the Republican governor said in his statement. Mandatory rationing is an option if the declaration and other measures are insufficient. The drought has forced farmers to fallow their fields, put thousands of agricultural workers out of work and led to conservation measures in cities throughout the state, which is the nation’s top agricultural producer. Agriculture losses could reach $2.8 billion this year and cost 95,000 jobs, said Lester Snow, the state water director. State agencies must now provide assistance for affected communities and businesses and the Department of Water Resources must protect supplies, all accompanied by a statewide conservation campaign. Three dry winters have left California’s state- and federally operated reservoirs at their lowest levels since 1992. Federal water managers plan to temporarily cut off water this March to thousands of California farms. The […]