On Friday, the California Department of Water Resources kickstarted a partnership between state agencies, local governments, scientists and community members in a new task force, called the Drought Resilience Interagency and Partners Collaborative.
The DRIP group was created in part by the 2021 Senate Bill 552, which requires state agencies to take a proactive stance on drought preparedness, especially for smaller rural communities most vulnerable to droughts.
The water agency hopes the task force will draft emergency response plans and water management based on anticipated drought impacts. Meetings will include multiple state agency officials to present the ongoing and future drought conditions that California is experiencing.
Karla Nemeth, director of the water agency, said that though the series of winter storms has refilled many of the state's reservoirs, California has faced a prolonged period of extreme drought for the past three years, and it's still not over.
The DRIP Collaborative will be composed of 26 members, consisting of state agency officials and two representatives from each of the following groups: local government, community organizations, tribes, non-profit providers, the general public, agriculture, environmental advocates, public water service providers, water agencies and experts in land use or water.
Residents interested in contributing to the task force can send in a letter of interest until Feb. 24. The water agency will announce the selected members of the collaborative in spring.
