: "Dry winter brings drought to Bay Area
By Dogen Hannah
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Contra Costa Times
Article Launched:04/12/2007 06:24:23 AM PDT
Although spring storms still could douse California, the state's water suppliers and firefighters are bracing for the consequences of an unusually dry winter.
Drought conditions gripping much of the West have now spread to the Bay Area, National Drought Mitigation Center officials are expected to announce today.
'The situation is serious right now,' said climatologist Brian Fuchs of the Lincoln, Neb.-based center. 'We're starting to see potential problems, as far as voluntary water restrictions.'
The last drought to hit the Bay Area, and the rest of the state, began in 1988 and lasted four years. "
