CAMBRIA, CA OCTOBER 01, 2014 - Rancher Jon Pedotti walks on the cracked remains of a parched lake

CAMBRIA, CA OCTOBER 01, 2014 - Rancher Jon Pedotti walks on the cracked remains of a parched lake bed of his 1,561-acre ranch located along San Simeon Creek in the Santa Lucia Mountain foothills of Cambria that are brown from drought on October 01, 2014. The lake which fed water to his 280 head of cattle has only been dry three times which Pedotti has owned, worked and lived on since 1973 and he said "It's never been this dry." The natural spring that once fed the cattle has long since dried up. Pedotti has offered water from his wells that could be tapped by the water district and figures he could supply about one-third of Cambria's water needs for the next three months. His ranch is up stream from the $9.13-million brackish-water treatment plant under construction along one of two creeks that feed Cambria's aquifer. A short distance upstream from Highway 1 and the San Simeon Creek Lagoon the plant is being built under an emergency permit approved by San Luis Obispo County to assist a massive civic effort to reduce water consumption due to the drought. The Cambria Community Services District declared an extreme water shortage in January and secured the fast-tracked county permit to build the plant. Critics say the plant will damage the delicate ecosystem and burden ratepayers for years. The village of Cambria is being torn apart over what to do about its dwindling supply of water as the state staggers through another year of drought. One faction wants to build the brackish water plant and the other side says that's too expensive and environmentally destructive. (Photo by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)