California has been in the midst of a water drought crisis for quite awhile now, and the Alameda County Water District had set up an inflatable dam at Alameda Creek to help preserve the water for people in their area.

But on Thursday, vandals entered a restricted area of the dam and caused irreversible damage to it, which resulted in the loss of over 50 million gallons of water that could have potentially served 500 families for an entire year, according to a report on CBS SF Bay Area Local.

"This is a very significant loss of water under any circumstances, and more so in the drought conditions we are experiencing," ACWD General Manager Robert Shaver said. "It is an utterly senseless, destructive, and wasteful thing to do."

Officials close to the situation estimate that the damage to the dam will cost around $3 million to fix. But the water loss is irreversible, given that the water released will not reach the Niles Cone Groundwater Basin, which serves the residents and businesses in the area.

The inflatable barrier was set in place to preserve the water for the people of Newark, Union City and Fremont in California. The combined areas serve around 81,000 people, and the loss of the water, coupled with California's drought emergency and water restriction laws, could potentially make life there an unbearable situation in the near future.

The water lost flowed directly into the San Francisco Bay. But officials there are optimistic and issued a press release to CBS SF Bay Local.

"While the water loss was substantial, the district does not believe it will have a long-term impact on its water supply operations," the statement read.

The water district also handles water for 325,850 people in the southern part of the county, and they were planning on replacing the dam, which dates back to 1971. Vendors and equipment were already mobilized to undergo the project.

If anyone has information on this incident and would like to come forward, please contact Detective A. Ceniceros at Aceniceros@fremont.gov or call him at 510-790-6900.