California's historic drought
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California's historic drought

Updated 0015 GMT (0815 HKT) March 17, 2016
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Inmates at a state prison in Vacaville, California, install a drought-tolerant garden in October. The garden will be watered using reclaimed water from the prison's kitchen. California is entering its fifth year of severe drought. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
California State Assemblyman Devon Mathis speaks to members of the media after he helped secure a donation of 100,000 water bottles in September. More than 300 homes in Porterville, California, were out of running water because of dried-up wells. JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images
Evacuee James Logan embraces his wife, Lisa, as they listen to an update about a wildfire in Clearlake Oakes, California, in August. Drought conditions have fueled numerous wildfires across the state. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Firefighters hike down a hill in Clearlake, California, as they mop up hot spots from the Rocky Fire in August. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A golfer in San Francisco hits a shot in July. After Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a statewide water-use reduction of 25%, golf courses have been struggling to keep their fairways and greens watered. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
People picnic in July on the sandy bottom of Mirror Lake, which is normally covered with water at Yosemite National Park. MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
A man applies green paint to a brown lawn in Novato, California, in May. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A close-up of the dry Guadalupe Creek, as seen in San Jose, California, in April. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Workers install artificial grass at a home in Burlingame, California, in April. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Motorists in Rancho Cordova, California, pass a sign in April reminding them to reduce water use. Rich Pedroncelli/AP
A woman in Sequoia National Park looks up at barren terrain typically populated by skiers in April. Brian Melley/AP
California Gov. Jerry Brown, right, walks with Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program for the Department of Water Resources, near Echo Summit, California, in April. Gehrke said this was the first time since he has been conducting the survey that he found no snow at that location at that time of the year. Rich Pedroncelli/AP
People hike along a ridge overlooking the Griffith Observatory, where vegetation was drying out in Los Angeles in March 2015. David McNew/Getty Images
In March 2015, a power boat sits on a Lake McClure parking lot that used to be underwater in La Grange, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Low water is seen at the dam of Lake Success, near East Porterville, California, in February 2015. David McNew/Getty Images
This picture taken from a helicopter shows a drought-affected area near Los Altos Hills, California, in July 2014. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images
A woman walks her dog in San Francisco in July 2014. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A worker washes the sidewalk in front of a San Francisco hotel in July 2014. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
In June 2014, a pedestrian walks by a sign posted in front of the lawn at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Residents photograph the burning ruins of their home, which was destroyed in a wildfire in Carlsbad, California, in May 2014. David McNew/Getty Images
Volunteers pack bags of oatmeal at a San Francisco food bank in May 2014. The longstanding drought has contributed to an increase in food prices. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Fingerling Chinook salmon are dumped into a holding pen as they are transferred from a truck into the Sacramento River in March 2014. Low water levels forced wildlife officials to truck more than 400,000 fish nearly 300 miles. They usually make the trip on their own. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A tractor plows a field in Firebaugh, California, in February 2014. Almond farmer Barry Baker had 1,000 acres -- 20% -- of his almond trees removed because he didn't have access to enough water to keep them alive. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Plumbing technician Todd Snider installs an aerator at a home in Novato in February 2014. Californians have been installing water-saving devices in their homes to reduce consumption. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A worker installs an artificial lawn in front of an apartment building in San Jose in January 2014. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
A car sits at the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir in San Jose in January 2014. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Rocky shores are exposed by the low waters of Morris Reservoir, on the San Gabriel River near Azusa, California, in January 2014. David McNew/Getty Images
During a news conference in San Francisco in January 2014, Gov. Jerry Brown holds a chart showing the statewide average precipitation. The governor declared a drought emergency for the state, saying it faced "perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since records (began) about 100 years ago." Justin Sullivan/Getty Images