As the state’s capital is poised to break a 141-year record for lack of rain, California’s top water bosses are trying to explain why this year has been so bad and calling on residents to redouble conservation efforts.

By many measures, this year’s drought has etched itself into the record books and is poised to get significantly worse if rainfall and snowpack levels don’t rebound over the next several months.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.