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Drought saps California reservoirs as hot, dry summer looms

California Drought-Reservoirs
Posted at 1:39 PM, Jun 15, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-15 16:39:08-04

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) — California's reservoirs are shrinking quickly as a drought grips the western United States.

Reservoirs should be full this time of year as the sun melts the snowpack from a wet winter, but this past year was the third driest on record in terms of precipitation.

California's reservoirs are about 50% lower than they should be, and it's only going to get worse as the summer drags on.

State officials say one of their most important reservoirs, Lake Oroville, could reach record lows by late August or September.

That poses problems for farmers, fish, tourism and energy production.