California declares drought emergency

California farms also face cutoff of federal water starting Sunday

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday declared a state emergency due to drought, requested broad conservation measures and said farm losses in the coming season could top $2 billion.

Total economic losses in 2009 could be nearly $3 billion, the governor said.

The move encourages urban water agencies to reduce water use by 20 percent and says mandatory conservation is an option if those and other measures prove insufficient.

Schwarzenegger called the state’s drought a crisis as severe as an earthquake or wildfire.

“Even with the recent rainfall, California faces it third consecutive year of drought and we must prepare for the worst