Governors team up to tackle western U.S. drought crisis

SACRAMENTO (KABC) -- California Gov. Jerry Brown met with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval in Sacramento Thursday as the two states look to deal with the unprecedented drought, which is now in its third year. The meeting focused on how to manage agriculture.

"I think the drought will test our imagination and our science, our technology and our political capacity to collaborate," Brown said.

Voters in California passed a $7.5 billion water bond measure on Nov. 4 to improve the state's outdated and undersized water storage and delivery system. It calls for building two new reservoirs, investing in conservation measures, water recycling and groundwater cleanup.

While Proposition 1 will help save water during wet years to prepare for future dry periods, it may be a while before we have another wet year.

Weather experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA came together at the Aquarium of the Pacific on Thursday and updated their winter weather forecast. They predict a 53 percent chance of a weak-to-moderate El Nino weather system this winter.

"We're in this for the long haul. It takes a long time to get into a drought and it takes a long time to crawl out of a drought. There is no quick fix," said Dr. Bill Patzert, a JPL climatologist.

Brown noted that the proposals for addressing California's water problems will be controversial.

"The shortages are unprecedented, at least in modern, historical memory, so we have a lot to do," Brown said. "We do have the money, we have the task force, and I think we have the political will."

Sandoval initiated the yearlong series of meetings, which will lead to a report of best practices to be released next June.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.