The San Jose Mercury News has reported that the Guadalupe River, which runs through San Jose, has dried up despite several years of restoration efforts made by authorities. Now fish and other wildlife that made the waterway their home are missing or dead, they said.

The large section of the river that passed through America’s 10th largest city since past two months has miles of cracked, arid gray riverbed, and the marine ecosystem has been completely devastated.

Leslee Hamilton, executive director of the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, a nonprofit that runs educational and community programs along the river, said in a statement that not only the authorities but the city residents are also heartbroken after seeing condition of the river.

“We've been seeing a great increase in the number of birds and wildlife in the area. The timing of this is just devastating”, she said.

As per experts, Guadalupe’s condition is far worse than many California waterways. The state’s rivers and creeks could be seen disappearing entirely after four consecutive years if historically dry weather.

Matt Clifford, an attorney with Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit that has its California headquarters in Emeryville, said the situation is grim and is not at all good for wildlife or fish.

Environmentalists across the state are battling with state, federal and local water agencies. They are saying that more water should be released from reservoirs to save species that are in danger of extinction.

In many cases, farmers and cities are fighting for the same water, arguing that people must come first in an emergency.

The Guadalupe River isn't a big river or a storied river. But it has a long history in the area. It was named in 1776 by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza for the Virgin of Guadalupe as he camped along its banks en route from Monterey to San Francisco.