Since we're in the middle of a drought that's literally of historic proportions, let's not go around damaging things and letting almost 50 million gallons of water go down the drain. OK?

On Thursday morning, a suspected vandal damaged an inflatable rubber dam that spans Alameda Creek in Fremont, releasing the captured water. "This was a malicious intent, Alameda County Water District general manager Robert Shaver told SFGate. "It was an incredibly senseless, wasteful, destructive act."

According to KPIX, the 210-foot dam, made of inch-thick rubber, will cost about $3 million to replace. Because it dates back to 1971, the Water District was already in the process of replacing it.

Although the dam is replaceable, the water has all washed down the creek and into San Francisco Bay. Originally, it would have been diverted to Quarry Lakes Regional Park, where it would then percolate into the Niles Cone Groundwater Basin and served as a groundwater source for Fremont, Newark, and Union City. Shaver says it was enough water to supply 500 families for a year.

Despite the loss and the drought, the impact it has on the Water District is minimal. But still! Not cool.