Dried-out reservoir photos show extent of drought in the southwest as up to 85% of California suffers 'exceptional' water shortages Lake Oroville, a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River in northern California, has been seen with a dry and cracked riverbed in recent photos Last month, Lake Oroville was at just 38% of its capacity - a sobering reminder of the massive drought that ran from 2012 to 2016 Paul Lowenthal, an assistant fire marshal for Santa Rosa, said his department anticipates 'a long dry summer' and that the agency may declare an early start to fire ...