Four Years of Drought

In 2014 California was it in its fourth year of a severe drought. Evidence of it was everywhere: the reservoirs were at dramatically low levels and wells were running dry, farmers were letting their crops go fallow and frantically drilling for water throughout the San Joaquin Valley, new water use restrictions were being implemented almost on a weekly basis, and everybody was getting nervous.

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Farmers are leaving more fields fallow after three years of severe drought. Kern County.

Political sign for Families Protecting the Valley activist group. Kern County.

Dusty road and fallow crop field on the Cardella Winery and farm. Fresno County.

No Swimming sign at Castaic Lake which was at 55% of capacity during California's declared drought State of Emergency.

Cracked earth in a fallow crop field after three years of severe drought, Fresno County.

Donna Johnson delivers bottled water to local residents of East Porterville whose wells have run dry.

San Gabriel Spreading Grounds are part of the the Water Replenishment District. Desilting pond’s zig-zag design helps slow down water, allowing for silt to settle out before the water is directed towards the infiltration basins.

Water well being drilled in Almond orchard. Tulare County.

Irrigation ditch running next to vineyard and almond orchard. Fresno County, Drill bit for water drill, Tulare County.

Lake Success is a reservoir and dam along the Tule River and provides water to nearby Porterville and East Porterville, whose wells have rund dry.

Crops being irrigated during drought in Kern County.

Vicki Yorba, 95, shows a photo of her front lawn before the severe drought that has affected her community. Vicki’s well ran dry and now depends on bottled water being delivered by volunteers.

Millerton Lake and Friant Dam is part of the Central Valley Project, and is a reservoir serving Fresno and the San Joachin Valley. It has a capacity of 520,000 acre feet but like many other major reservoirs in the Valley, after three years of severe drought has seen water levels drop dramatically.

Rod Cardella stands in front of the California Aqueduct next to his family farm which was severely affected by three years of severe drought.

The San Luis Dam and San Luis Reservoir at very low capacity.