It isn't easy to comprehend the scope and severity of the long-term drought gripping California unless you see it for yourself.
In the images above, you can see just how low the lakes have gotten and how far hope has declined among the state's residents. They've spent several years watching water levels drop with little rain or snow falling to replenish them.
Let's examine a few of the areas profiled in the gallery and dive deeper into their struggle.

Lake McClure

Located in central California, nearly due east of San Francisco, Lake McClure is shockingly low. At just 8 percent of capacity as of March, according to reports by the Merced Irrigation District, local farmers have already been told they won't be able to count on any surface water from the lake this year.
Dry lakebeds are cracking and water levels have dipped dozens of feet below normal. Houseboats have been pulled from the water, and local officials say there might not be enough water to keep them on the lake this summer, KMPH-TV reports.
"We are going to need 3 good years, 4 good years of rain to get this up so we can enjoy it," boater Joe Cuchieri told KMPH-TV.
When full, Lake McClure holds 1 million acre-feet of water; an acre-foot is the amount of water it would take to cover an acre of land with one foot of water. Currently, the lake holds about 69,000 acre-feet of water and the water elevation drops one foot every other day, according to Sierra Sun Times.

East Porterville

Southeast of Lake McClure is the town of East Porterville, where waterways aren't the only thing drying out. The town's residents have also run out of well water, the primary source of drinking water for many of the area's homes, according to the New York Times.
Residents haven't had running water in months and rely on donated water tanks to bathe, wash clothes and eat, the report added. To drink, many of the city's residents rely on bottled water, either donated or purchased on their own.
The town is largely made up of Mexican immigrants who work in the fields all day, toiling under the sun. The local high school has allowed students to come in early to take showers in the locker rooms, if needed, the report added.
"Nobody knows where to go, who to talk to: These aren’t people who rely on government to help," East Porterville resident Donna Johnson told the Times. "It’s a slow-moving disaster that nobody knows how to handle."

Huntington Lake

Dry lakebeds are also becoming a common sight in the Sierra National Forest, and one such waterway is Huntington Lake. These lakes rely on snowmelt from the Sierra Nevadas to stay filled, and with the lowest snowpack totals in recorded history coming this winter, it's highly unlikely Huntington Lake will be full any time soon.
But lake officials remain hopeful that there will be enough water this summer for boaters to enjoy time on the water.
I promised a report so here it goes:It seems that we are looking for more of the same as last year on Huntington Lake....
Posted by Lakeshore Resort on Wednesday, March 18, 2015
However, Southern California Edison projects water levels won't be close to average at any point between now and the start of 2016. It's a safe bet that they'll be right due to the pitiful snowpack that won't provide much relief to the lakes.