The original water depth after a 15% increase due to the storm (1.15x = 52), the initial depth was 45 meters.
Let the original water depth be x meters.
After a storm, the water depth is 52 meters, which is a 15% increase.
Therefore, we can write the following equation:
1.15x = 52
Dividing both sides by 1.15, we get:
x = 52 / 1.15
x = 45
Therefore, the original water depth before the storm was 45 meters.