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Drought Over, Showers Back On At SoCal Beaches

DANA POINT (CBSLA.com/AP) -- Surfers are stoked after showers at California state beaches that were turned off during the drought are flowing once again.

The parks department turned off the showers in July 2015 at the height of the dry spell as Gov. Jerry Brown urged state officials to cut back on water use.

Brown issued an executive order on April 7 ending the drought state of emergency.

Showers at Bolsa Chica, Huntington Beach and Doheny state beaches were back on as of Wednesday morning, according to the Orange County Register. The water was also flowing again at El Porto State Beach in Manhattan Beach.

Parks spokeswoman Gloria Sandoval says more beaches will follow as the agency evaluates the condition of public rinse stations.

San Onofre surfer David Matuszak says besides allowing beachgoers to rinse off sand and salt, the showers help reduce the chance of infections from exposure to toxins in the water.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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