EL DORADO COUNTY, CA - After a year of some of the most stringent water usage restrictions in the state’s history, it looks like parts of California are starting to peel back the rules Governor Jerry Brown and the State Water Resources Control Board put in place last April and June.

El Dorado Irrigation District (E.I.D.), one serving approximately 40,000 customers, has voted to officially rescind all of its water restrictions, according to Sacramento-based news source KCRA 3.

“Now that the drought stage has been rescinded, currently our customers no longer need to conserve,” District Spokesman Jesse Saich explained.

Previously, in a June 2015 decision, the State Water Resources Control Board mandated that water usage be reduced by 28 percent, as compared to 2013. As statistics now show, the actual amount of water used by customers reduced by an average of 31 percent.

While many officials argue that these increased statistics combined with a strong El Niño rain season has sufficiently helped replenish water sources, the U.S. drought monitor still shows El Dorado County in either the severe or extreme drought level.

“While we understand that many communities are still feeling the effects of the drought, those effects have largely alleviated in the E.I.D. service area,” Saich continued, according to KCRA 3.

On the same day that E.I.D.’s decision to end its stage two drought warning was made, Governor Jerry Brown doubled down on his commitment to saving water by issuing an executive order titled “Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life.” The order reportedly contains new bans on hosing off sidewalks or driveways, watering lawns within 48 hours after it rains, and washing cars without a shut-off nozzle on the hose.

“While we are hopeful that we are turning the corner on this drought, the truth is that it’s just too soon to tell,” said Felicia Marcus, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board at a recent workshop to discuss the possibility of ending restrictions statewide. “Any additional water we can conserve today will serve us well tomorrow if the drought continues.”

While its clear the state is still in the throes of a serious drought, will this trend be one that ripples throughout the entire state? Count on AndNowUKnow to give you the latest reports on the developing water situation in California.