State Water Resources Control Board to vote on lifting drought restrictions

<p>This winter has been a wet one for the West Coast, and that&#39;s helped California make major progress toward ending the state&#39;s drought.&nbsp;</p><p>Three months ago,&nbsp;<a href="http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?CA" target="_blank">100 percent</a>&nbsp;of the Golden State was abnormally dry, with 42 percent in an extreme or exceptional drought.&nbsp;</p><p>Fast-forward to January, and one-third of the state is done with the drought.&nbsp;</p><p>California relies on&nbsp;<a href=" https://www3.epa.gov/watersense/docs/california_state_fact_sheet.pdf" target="_blank">reservoirs and aquifers</a>&nbsp;for much of its water. Mountain snowpack plays a big role in keeping those filled through the spring and summer.&nbsp;</p><p>But five years of drier than normal conditions caused serious stress on California residents.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/california-trees-dying-at-unprecedented-rate/">Droughts Have Seriously Damaged California's Tree Population</a></b></p><p>Thanks to a decent amount of wet weather last winter, the northern part of California had already&nbsp;<a href="http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/Narrative.aspx" target="_blank">started recovering</a>&nbsp;from the drought.</p><p>Now this year&#39;s onslaught of rain and snow is helping even more.&nbsp;</p><p>The highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountains have received over&nbsp;<a href="https://weather.com/news/weather/news/snow-season-200-inches-2016-2017" target="_blank">16 feet</a>&nbsp;of snow this season, and winter isn&#39;t over.&nbsp;</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/investigation-launched-into-fbi-doj-actions-during-election/">FBI, DOJ Are Being Investigated Over Their Actions During The Election</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/turquoise-mountain-project-uses-art-to-revitalize-kabul/">How Art Is Revitalizing This Kabul Neighborhood After Decades Of War</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/little-free-pantries-are-america-s-newest-food-banks/">Tiny Little Boxes Are America&#039;s Newest Food Pantries</a></li></ul>