The California drought has been brutal over the past few years, but to see just how devastating it has been, you need to see before-and-after pictures side by side.
Bay Area News Group photojournalist Nhat V. Meyer went out to the San Luis Reservoir in Merced County this week and took pictures in approximately the same places that he did in January 2019. The reservoir is one of the largest in California.
The results are startling.
It shows how California’s reservoir water levels are way below what they should be at this time of year. The U.S. Drought Monitor reported that California’s 154 intrastate reservoirs contained 13.8 million acre-feet of water, just 60 percent of average for the date. That same agency said most of California is experiencing exceptional or extreme drought.
Use the slider on the images to see the before and after photos.
