State Water Resources Control Board

At Lopez Reservoir in San Luis Obispo County, California Gov. Gavin Newsom added nine counties to the drought state of emergency Thursday and urged Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15%.

A lead contamination scare concerning a water fountain at Berkeley High School — which turned out to be a false alarm — occurred shortly after a report containing data on lead in drinking water samples was released.

Berkeley law students involved with UC Berkeley’s Environmental Law Clinic released a report Friday analyzing and providing recommendations on the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposal for the development of a water affordability program.

California residents have decreased water usage by 5 percent this year compared to the last three years — far less than Gov. Jerry Brown’s request for a 20 percent decrease in January — according to a statewide survey released Tuesday.