Photos of waterways in Northern California during a severe drought in the 1970s and from the peak of the most recent drought show stark similarities.
California experienced one of its most severe droughts between 1975 and 1977.
The state got a one year’s average for rain over a two-year period.
While the state’s most recent drought, from 2012 to 2016, lasted longer, the impact was similar.
Below are photos from four well-known waterways in the region that compare scenes between the two droughts: California Department of Water Resources LiveCopter 3 California Department of Water Resources u local California Department of Water Resources California Department of Water Resources California Department of Water Resources California Department of Water Resources California Department of Water Resources Florence Low/California Department of Water Resources California Department of Water Resources The drought of 1977, Lake Oroville reached its lowest daily average storage of 882,000 acre-feet on Sept. 7, 1977.
This aerial view shows Oroville Dam in Butte County in Northern California, once called the ninth wonder of the world, as the tallest dam in the U.S. with 85 million cubic yards of earth.
Paul Hames/California Department of Water Resources California Department of Water Resources Paul Hames/California Department of Water Resources