Laguna Lake Drying Up

September 28, 2014

2014, September 18 - San Luis Obispo CA, Laguna Lake, dried up from lake of rain

Photographer: Cindy Todd
Summary AuthorCindy Todd

Shown above is what remains of Laguna Lake in San Luis Obispo, California. Much of California and the western U.S. are in the midst of a prolonged three-year drought. Thus far 2014 has been the driest of the past three years in California. Additionally, mountain snowpacks measured only 20 percent of normal levels in much of the Sierra Nevada's. In January of this year, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared 27 counties in California, including San Luis Obispo, to be designated as primary natural disaster areas as a result of extreme drought conditions. Thousands of fish that lived in Laguna Lake have now died. The lake was originally 2 mi (3 km) long and 0.5 mi (1 km) wide. As the water receded, a stolen car from years ago was found on the lake bottom.

Photo details: Camera Maker: Samsung; Camera Model: YP-G70; Focal Length: 3.8mm; Aperture: f/2.6; Exposure Time: 0.0012 s (1/843); ISO equiv: 50.