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Successive atmospheric rivers that have slammed California with rain brought respite to around seven million people in Southern California, who had restrictions on their water usage lifted after the belts of rainfall helped alleviate drought conditions.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California announced Wednesday that it was lifting emergency water restrictions on dozens of communities, after placing such restrictions on nearly seven million people because of water shortages that severely limited the availability of state water supplies.

While the boards action reflects improvements in the availability of State Water Project supplies, storage reserves have been drawn down and significant challenges remain to the regions other source of imported water the Colorado River. Metropolitan continues to call on residents and businesses across the region to use water as efficiently as possible to refill storage, the board said in a statement.

The restrictions that were lifted officially on Tuesday had been in place since June, requiring parts of the state, including parts of Los Angeles, to limit outdoor watering to once a week or restrict the volume of water that could be used. The board said that while it was lifting its restrictions, local water authorities may still have restrictions of their own in place.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to contact their local water provider for the latest rules on water use in their communities, the statement said.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California supplies water to 19 million people across six counties in the state, importing water from the Colorado River and the northern part of the state. The southern part of the state has been dealing with historic drought conditions for over a year.

The relief brought to Southern California was a silver lining to a string of atmospheric rivers that have battered the state. Californias 11th total atmospheric river of the year, which hit the state this week, has brought flood conditions and has left over 125,000 customers without power, according to the grid tracker poweroutage.us.

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Mandatory water restrictions lifted for 7 million in Southern California following winter storms - AOL