"California on Tuesday moved to ease water conservation rules for farmers in the northern and central parts of the state, a sign that a wet fall may portend an easing of the state's five-year drought.

The decision to temporarily stop requiring mostly agricultural users from detailing how much they take from key watersheds comes as new data show that conservation among urban Californians was up slightly in September over August.

Felicia Marcus, chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board, said she welcomed rain that drenched cities throughout the state in October, but warned that the state's crushing drought was not yet over."

Sharon Bernstein reports for Reuters November 1, 2016. [2]