Environment Land of Thirst: A Drought Podcast Published on December 17, 2014 By Leighton Woodhouse Share … California is in the midst of what is arguably the worst drought in its recorded history. Powered by Cincopa Video Hosting for Business solution.California’s Megadrought in the Central ValleyPictures of land and people in California’s Central Valley impacted by the state’s historic drought.Dead orchards are bulldozed and woodchipped to make into compost.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 10/28/2014 5:34:26 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IICitrus grower Bryan Hixson alongside the Friant-Kern Canalflash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 10/28/2014 12:23:12 AMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIAlmond husks. Almonds are highly water-intensive, but growers are holding onto their almond fields and even switching over to the crop because it yields among the highest profit margins.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 10/28/2014 7:10:32 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIBoth the high-speed rail and the effort to restore the San Joaquin salmon run are political third rails in the Central Valley.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 11/6/2014 12:00:38 AMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IICitrus grower Gus Carranza in his fieldsflash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 10/27/2014 8:13:52 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IICalifornia’s Proposition 1 was an emergency measure to mitigate the drought situation, but its effects will not be felt for many years.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 11/5/2014 5:06:00 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIMigrant farm laborerflash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 11/5/2014 6:00:42 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIDebris from a bulldozed orchard is collected for woodchipping.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 10/28/2014 5:17:55 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIWater in California is so scarce that at the beginning of the year, the state announced a “zero allocation” of surface water for the water agencies that serve both growers and residential consumers.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 11/5/2014 4:39:08 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIA study in contrastsflash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 11/6/2014 1:19:37 AMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIDespite the parched landscape, not all Central Valley residents are prepared to abandon their verdant lawns.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 11/5/2014 5:45:54 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IISome growers have the resources to hold onto their ranches for another year. Others have already folded.flash 16cameramake Canonheight 600orientation 1camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2originaldate 10/27/2014 6:16:42 PMwidth 900cameramodel Canon EOS 5D Mark IIᐧ All photos by Elizabeth Fladung Related Topics:California drought Continue Reading Top Stories The SlickFebruary 16, 2026 Pennsylvania Spent Big on a ‘Petrochemical Renaissance.’ It Never Arrived. The SlickFebruary 17, 2026 More Lost ‘Horizons’: How New Mexico’s Climate Plan Flamed Out Again Latest NewsFebruary 18, 2026 Effort to Fast-Track Semiconductor Manufacturing Faces Community Pushback Latest NewsFebruary 27, 2026 Agents In ICE Shootings Made Racist or Sexist Remarks, Records Show Column - State of InequalityFebruary 19, 2026 Cuts Aimed at Abortion Are Hitting Basic Care Dirty MoneyFebruary 20, 2026 As Climate Crisis Upended Homeowners Insurance, the Industry Resisted Regulation Latest NewsFebruary 23, 2026 Photo Essay: The Californians Powering America The SlickFebruary 25, 2026 Colorado’s Oil and Gas Industry Is Vastly Underestimating Methane Emissions
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