Drought emergency declared

Butte County officially announced a local drought emergency on Wednesday (July 22) due to increased reports of wells going dry. The proclamation was ratified by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (July 28).

Declaring a state of emergency allows the county to “access more resources to better assist residents with dry wells,” according to a press release. While more action is forthcoming, for now the county has opened several locations throughout the county where residents whose wells have gone dry can pick up water. In Chico, residents can access up to 500 gallons of water per day at the corner of Locust and 20th streets on Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Call the Department of Water and Resource Conservation at 538-4343 to report a dry well.