In California's drought-stricken Santa Ynez Valley, Cachuma Lake is in danger of drying up. © Scott London/Alamy

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Cachuma Lake, the primary source of drinking water for about one quarter of a million residents of California's Central Coast, is disappearing in the face of a prolonged and historically-unprecedented drought. The water level had dropped more than 50 feet below normal and was at about a quarter of its usual capacity on July 10, 2015.

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Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: Cachuma Lake, Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Photo credit: © Scott London / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: american, arid, barbara, bottom, cachuma, california, change, climate, cracked, desert, desertification, drinking, drought, dry, earth, ecological, environment, evaporation, global, lake, lakebed, mud, reservoir, santa, source, thirst, valley, warming, water, west, ynez