According to the US Drought Monitor for the week of March 5, 2019, only a very small percentage of Northern California is in any sort of drought, which makes the California drought over, technically. The problem with that declaration, however, is that drought calculations don’t take aquifer levels into account.
Given its [now in the past] drought status, is California ready to let people water their lawns with abandon again?
Probably not, and that’s a good thing, because many of the state’s aquifers are still well below pre-drought levels, down by 30 feet in some locations.
The lawn watering question is causing concerns in some communities like Tulare and Visalia, where water restrictions and steep fines for violations like broken and leaking sprinkler heads have given some town residents heartburn. Others say the conservation measures are worth it and any extra water should be left for farmers.