up next on a second look, the worse drought in california history. how the five year dry spell from 1987 to 1992 affected everything from crops to fish. and how it all ended. hi everyone and welcome to a second look. tonight the drought. last month after the driest calendar year in california history, governor brown declared a drought for the state. but this is not the first and

it is not yet the worse. california's most recent drought before this lasted from 1987 to 1992 and it's considered the most severe since the state began keeping rainfall record all the way back in 1850. by 1988 the prolonged effects of the drought had become evident particularly up in the sierra. where much of the state gets its water supply from the annual snow pack. in december of 1988, ktvu's rob roth traveled to the sierra to see the effect that the drought was having there. the drought is turning even fertile parts of nevada into a dust bowl. areas that once had plenty of water from sierra run off and understood ground wells now have none. the drought has become so severe that birds are singing their first vast refuge turn to mud. many must now move on or starve. no one in this state is suffering more from this

drought than the ranchers and farmers. most have been barely been able to squeak by with what water they've had. most of these ranches and farms will be history. george warren is a third generation rancher. his family has been raising cattle here for the past three years. the price of hay has gone through the roof. and still he must feed his herd. >> it's tough. you know, you get up in the morning and you're usually ready to go out and do something. what is there to do right now? we do our maintenance work and stuff like that. usually we would be getting ready to get machines ready. you keep going but right now you're sitting here waiting and saying what's the weather going to do? >> farming is the third biggest

industry in nevada behind gambling and mining. cantaloupe grow here so does alfalfa and corn. >> might have put a few of them out of the business. >> reno may be the biggest little city in the world but it's also becoming one of the driest. rain here has been as rare as million dollar jackpots. this year the valley had its driest february in march in 118 years. the tricky river is the main water supply for the county. lake tahoe feeds it. but in this drought year the truckee is now running with reservoir water stored up for just such an emergency. >> if this were to continue into a third year which has never happened before. we're going to see fairly severe things happen in terms of water use in this area. >> in the meantime reno a city not known for self-denial has

already taken mandatory water conversation efforts similar to those in northern california. restaurants only serve water on request. >> we hope the consumption of water goes considerably down. >> reporter: but if this is a dry winter then some in the state will look here for help. lake tahoe. tahoe already provides western nevada with some of its water and it's already low. but some say there might be no way to stop from pumping water. but without tahoe some say nevada will be left in the dust. >> having enough water to survive is an ongoing challenge for california's fish population and it's especially tough in drought years.

officials were concerned that the salmon could become extinct because there was not enough water for them to spawn. ktvu's rob roth brought us this report. >> reporter: salmon season is late this year. the federal government delayed the opening two weekings and shortened it by another two weeks because the drought is destroying the salmon population. >> it is very scary. the population keeps going back ward. it's going to have an effect sooner or later. >> the numbers are frightening. 20 years ago the salmon run numbered 200,000. last winter there were 445. the reason is basic, fish need water. and they haven't been getting much. >> less water in the streams for spawning, less water in the streams for the healthy growth of the baby fish. and less water to move them through the system through the

delta and estuary and beyond. they rely on fresh water flowing through the delta. but with the drought, much of that water has been diverted into two enormous water bodies. some argue that water is wasted on crop such as cotton or rice which use massive amounts of water. >> we have provisions in the operations of both projects to cut back on water for fish. during poor water years. >> we can be assured that certain of our fish stocks will simply be lost permanently. we'll never see some of the fish that will be coming through san francisco bay since the ice age on earth ever again because of the way we have managed the water projects. >> salmon need relatively cool waters to hatch their eggs. with low water tables the water gets hotter and that can cook the eggs. also each year the powerful

water pumps pumps that divert water suck in and kill salmon. if it wasn't for agriculture the water projects would not have been built and they say salmon can be bred in hatcheries. still to come on a second look, how california went from a desert to one of the richest agricultural states in the country. and a bit later is it possible to make it rain? we'll bring you the science of cloud seeding.

welcome back to a second look. tonight we're looking back at the last big drought here in california. from 1987 to 1992. if you could magically transport someone from the year 1914 100 years forward they might marvel at how much the state has grown and of the rich agriculture that it produces. the person might also ask one

simple question. where does all the water come from and part of the answer comes from a water project. and rob roth brought us this report tracing the picture of that project. >> reporter: california, sunny skies and swimming pools. nice green lawns and green fertile farms to feed everyone. too good to be true. but nature never meant for it to be true. in a normal precipitation year which california has not had since 1986, both los angeles and san francisco see less rain than telaviv. >> we have to get used to that this is a desert. >> reporter: the rush for gold may have brought people to california but now it is water that is clearly the currency of

the state. in california everyone depends on the manipulation of water moving it hundreds of miles from where the water is to where the people are. to do that californians have had to rearrange the environment. funnels water from the mountains to the desert. turning desserts into farms and creating huge cities where none were meant to be. >> on the northern border you have over 100-inches of rainfall a year. people never wanted to live there. it's colder, much too wet for most people. they wanted to live in the south. so they moved there and said well let's bring the water. and they did. >> from the ski you can see the dilemma. from the air california looks like a hospital patient with

intravenous trailless. the project built the enormous shasta dam, fulsome dam and diverted water from the trinity river and carried the water hundreds of miles to the farmers. but that feat was nothing compared to what followed. >> the state water project will stand as a monument to the forsight, determination of the people of california. >> in 1960, california voters narrowly approved the state water project. that project altered nature. halting the feather river in its race to the sea turning it south to the sa -- sacramento, san joaquin delta. some of that water goes to the delta the rest traveling to the farm belt then pumps 2,000 feet up over the mountains and into the desert. in the north, many people perhaps forget that most of

northern california also imports its water. san francisco from yosemite park the east bay from the sierra gold country. northerners also complain that californians are stealing their water using it for car washes and swimming pools. the truth is that's not true. southern californians are not stealing a drop of water. >> the figure is the same. agriculture uses about 85% of the water that comes out of northern california. and southern california the evil villain of southern california uses 15% or less. >> reporter: southeast asian has a monsoon climate so farmers grow rice. but around calusa county in california where every rainstorm is cause to celebrate, farmers also grow

rice. california raises beef and dairy cows, to feed them alfalfa for grazing, growers have been using more water than the entire bay area and southern california clear down to san diego combined. >> cows are getting about three times as much water as humans are in california right now between the irrigated pasture and irrigated alfalfa. at least that much. to raise a 24-ounce steak on irrigated pasture on the san joaquin valley uses exactly as much water as a person would use taking a five minute shower every day for a year. >> reporter: critics say that farmers brought this water shortage on themselves and everyone else in the state. farmers were using 85% of all available water in this state. they used about half of that water on just four crops. rice and cotton and alfalfa and

land to feed cows. before the recent cut backs this is how much water farmers were using to grow those four crops. measured in acres or feet. that's the amount of water that it takes to cover a feet of water. all of southern california was using less water than cotton growers. and rice growers used twice as much water than everyone in the bay area. farmers were still using as much water as ever. critics say that farmers shouldn't be growing such thirsty crops in such large amounts in drought times. >> in order for us to replace

the dairy products or even to replace the alfalfa we have to go so far east to the mississippi that it would not be affordable to have the dairy products that we enjoy. i don't think californians want to give up those things. but don't overstate it. the economy is about $700 billion a year from everything from movies to defense industry to 7/11 markets to agriculture. for the water it uses agriculture is barely 10% of the state's economy. farmers say the best way to avoid future water shortages is not by cutting back on certain crops as critics suggest but by improves the state's water storage facilities. coming up, the science behind cloud seeding. can the right chemicals at the right time incruise our rainfall. and later, what does this volcano have to do with the end

of california's last big drought. one of the best things about is that millions of people will qualify for financial assistance. for example, if you're a single person making less than $46,000 a year, or a family of four, earning up to $94,200, you may be eligible for premium assistance. the lower your annual income, the greater financial assistance you will receive. get answers, and get covered. find out if you're eligible and enroll today. at coveredca.com. hales corners, wisconsin. nice pass by alyson dudek.

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>> tonight on a second look, living with drought. during the last big drought in california, we took a look at a technique some say will increase our rainfall. we're talking about cloud seeding. >> reporter: this winter whenever the weather gets wet and rainy. pilot gesner gets into his cessna and heads for the clouds. russell is a rainmaker. on this day he's making for storm clouds over lake bariesa. a lake that provides water for vacaville, vallejo and the rest of solano county. solano has hired the company

that russell works. on the ground back at the airport a satellite dish measures conditions. >> i need to know what your location is. >> the two determine the icy conditions and high moisture level inside the cloud make it ideal for seeding making it rain a little more than nature intended. so from inside the cockpit, russell ignites one of the flairs he had placed on the plane's wings. the flair sends up millions of iodized crystals. in minutes, each crystal can become a rain drop. >> the cloud deck uses as a start point. they grow on the nuclei and that grants precipitation. it's the starting point of an

ice crystal. when ice crystal melts, it becomes a rain drop. and we squeeze a little more precipitation out of a storm. just trying to optimize the precipitation. clouds producing water a little more efficiently. >> this is one of the 14 cloud seeding projects from the sierra to san diego. scientists discovered cloud seeding about 40 years ago and are convinced it works. but it takes rain clouds to make seeding successful and in the past few years rain clouds have been in short supply. in sacramento water department officials say cloud seeding could increase water supply by 8% enough water for 16,000 households. pg & e has been cloud seeding for years. >> when the weather starts getting warmer it provides more water for us in order to produce electricity. >> seeding over one area does

not deprive another area. while no one is championing cloud seeding as the answer to the drought, some say it can help while a better solution comes along. how scientists say this volcano helped bring an end to california's last big drought.

on a second look, california's last big drop. it lasted from 1987 to 1992 and it's considered the most severe in the state's recorded weather history. so how did it finally come to an end? turns out part of the credit goes to a volcano in the philippines and a weather phenomenon known as el nino. lloyd lacuesta brought us this report in 1991. >> reporter: the eruption of mount onatubo may go down as the first time that scientists were able to forecast a volcano

and evacuate people. >> in hindsight it's safe to say we no doubt saved hundreds of thousands of jobs. i don't know what the actual count is now but i think the number of deaths is up around between 250 to 300 that's actually very small for an eruption this size. >> david hollow of the u.s. geological survey in menlo park was part of a team of six u.s. and nine philipino scientists who requested an evacuation. two days after the recommendation, the mountain blew after 600 years of sleet. harlow and his colleagues stayed in a windowless building for two more days. they had placed portable

sizemometers like this. the it notified them of the upcoming quake it was time to get out. >> the floor was very wet, heavy ash that stripped leaves off, leaves and limbs off of trees. and that, you know just tore vast areas. it looks like a gray wasted desert right now. >> this is where the volcano is erupting. this is some of the ash that has propagated into the indian continent all the way around to eastern part of north africa? >> reporter: at a large livermore lab a committee was called into action by the u.s. air force shortly after the

eruption. the group was formed to monitor the release of radiation from a nuclear accident. now the scientists are using weather reports and computer models to chart the flow of the volcano's ash clouds. some of the ash is now as high as 21 miles above the earth. >> the following month in july of 1991, scientists predicted the el nino effect could bring an end to the drought and it appears they're right. forecasters were optimistic about the halting. coincided with one of the wettest years in california history. according to one new study, a volcanic eruption in mexico at the same time played an important role. >> with a particularly strong eruption is the implications that there would be a stronger el nino which would quite possibly or most frequently be

followed by a heavy rainy season for california. and, possibly a warmer summer after that. we now have another strong volcanic eruption in the tropics, mount folopuno in the philippines. those parols in the air help form rain when conditions are right. and in the pacific scientists say those el nino conditions are now developing. >> this is the sea surface temperature as of this week. scientists measuring the pressure say the winds are changing. and the warm water is being blown back some of it now farther east than it's been in five years. that warm water and moisture are coming closer to the american coast. is the drought about to end? >> there is some what of a correlation between these episodes happening and increased rainfall in north america but it's very, very fuzzy. that's it for this week's

second look. i'm frank somerville. we'll see you again next week.

if i could just have everybody's attention real quick. um, on this wonderful occasion-- our daughter leaving tomorrow for college... (mitchell) oh. if i could get everyone to raise their glass as i quote from one of our nation's great fathers-- jefferson. george jefferson. "i never dreamed that one of my own "would be going off to a university, "but here i stand, a proud black man, knowing that all those hours i put in at the dry cleaner--" phil. not now, weezie. where was i? quoting that president. okay, if she's the future of america, we should start using chinese money now. (scoffs) we already are. my arm is tired. to haley. to haley! (glasses clink) and before everyone puts their glasses down, uh, uh, we're also very proud of lily. tomorrow is her first day of kindergarten.