California imposes mandatory water restrictions amid extreme drought

Faced with one of the worst droughts in California history, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) on Wednesday announced the state's first ever mandatory water restrictions.

With 98 percent of the state suffering from the drought — including two-thirds experiencing "extreme" drought conditions — the executive order would slash water usage by 25 percent statewide for a projected savings of 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months. The move comes one day after the state's Department of Water Resources announced California had its lowest snowpack since 1950, when record-keeping began.

"As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible," Brown said in a statement.

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