California declares three-year severe drought over

California Governor Jerry Brown Friday declared an end to California's drought emergency, which started in 2014, when mandatory conservation was ordered for the first time in state history.

Due to the monster storms last winter, the state's key water source the Sierra Nevada was blanketed with deep snow, and all reservoirs were replenished.

The long-time drought forced local residents to stop using the sprinkler and rip out their lawns, killed millions of trees, strained local fish sources and made the big agricultural state rely heavily on groundwater.

"This drought emergency is over, but the next drought could be around the corner," Brown said in a statement. "Conservation must remain a way of life."

Long-term conservation measures across California were issued by state agencies, according to a report by the San Gabriel Tribune.

"New rules are expected to permanently ban wasteful practices, such as hosing off sidewalks and watering landscapes in the days after it rains. Officials say they will work aggressively to stop leaks that waste water," the report said.

While in Tulare, one of the four counties excluded from Brown's order to lift the drought emergency, charity workers said nearly 9,000 families still had huge tanks of water in their yards, because their wells had dried up during the drought years. Endi