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Hundreds of California Homes in Need of Water

Vickie Yorba, 94, stands next to a water tank in front of her home in East Porterville, California, Sept. 15, 2014. Her water well is one of 290 in the area that ran dry in the state’s historic drought. (AP Photo/Scott Smith)

10/12/2014  

Severe drought has struck California for a third year. The lack of water is affecting farms, cities and small communities. California’s Central Valley is usually fertile. But the lack of rainfall has left hundreds of homes without water.                                                  
The Porterville Area Coordinating Council provides food and other help to needy families. But right now, the families badly need water. Some of the land has not been planted because of lack of water. A man drives up to an old food-package house. The building serves as the headquarters of the Porterville Area Coordinating Council. The man’s pick-up truck is loaded with plastic barrels. A volunteer fills these containers with water. Nearby people are loading cars and other vehicles with cases of drinking water. 
Debbie Martinez lives on a ranch, a large farm that is not connected to the local water system. She has a water well. But she says it is dry.
“Yes, it’s been (dry) three years. My neighbor had given me water, but their wells are going dry, too.”
California’s system of aqueducts carries water to cities and small towns. But this part of Tulare County is far from any city. A lower than normal amount of water under the ground has left some wells with little or no water. Council volunteer Fred Beltran says this situation has affected more than 300 homes in this neighborhood.
“And these are all individual wells that are drying up or they’re pumping poor quality of water, which is either sand, dirt or high nitrates.”
California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed bills to regulate ground water to prevent shortages. He ordered delivery of emergency drinking water for people who have none.                                  
Tulare County water expert Denise England says people need clean water for drinking and cooking. 
“But the bigger challenge we’re facing now is what we’re calling sanitation water, so water that’s not potable, that’s not drinkable, but you can take a shower with it or do your dishes with it or bathe.”
Elva Beltran directs the Porterville Area Coordinating Council. She says her group has provided large open-air water tanks for many people. She says, “We have 54 tanks right now.”
The Council gets its money from area residents and religious groups.
Much of the work here involves giving water to people like Michael Burrough.
“I don’t know what else to do. All the water we can get is from the sources like right here. Other than that, I have to buy water and I don’t really have the extra money to buy cases of water.”
Officials say providing these families with water is highly important. But for now, the people depend on their neighbors, local government and private agencies to get the water they need to survive.
I’m Anna Matteo.
This report was based on a story from VOA reporter Mike O’Sullivan. Jeri Watson wrote the story for Learning English. The editor was George Grow. 
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Words in This Story

right now – idiom, immediately
well – n., a deep hole in the ground through which water can be removed
ranch – n., a large farm for raising horses, beef cattle or sheep
delivery – n., the act of taking something to a person or place; something taken to a person or place
regulate – v., to make regulations (rules) for
aqueduct – n., an artificial channel for conveying water
resident – n., a person who lives somewhere permanently or on a long-term basis 

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OTHER WORDS:  BY:

drought

      n   sequía    f  

Traducción diccionario Collins Ingles - Espanol   

drought-stricken exp. aquejado de sequía

drought-stricken	exp.	afectado por la sequía
drought is the curse of Spain	exp.	la sequía es el azote de España
last summer's drought is a dis...	exp.	la sequía del verano pasado es ya un recuerdo lejano
an annual cycle of drought alter...	exp.	un ciclo anual de sequías alternando con inundaciones
the worst drought in {or} ...	exp.	la peor sequía que se recuerda

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drought también se encontró en el diccionario Español-Inglés
aquí la sequía es una plaga	exp.	drought is a scourge here
la sequía hizo estragos en el ...	exp.	the drought wreaked havoc in the countryside
el informe estudia los efec...	exp.	the report examines {o} looks into the effects of the drought struck       pt, pp     -   strike    awe-struck      adj   pasmado, atemorizado   horror-struck      adj     →   horror-stricken   Traducción diccionario Collins Ingles - Espanol    Diccionario colaborativo     Inglés-Español to be struck dumb exp. quedarse sin habla [Fig.] he struck it rich exp. le salió el gordo (IDIOMS) a sound struck my ear exp. un ruido hirió mi oído [Liter.] his head struck the beam exp. dio con la cabeza contra {or} en la viga the clock struck the hour exp. el reloj dio la hora to be struck by lightning exp. ser alcanzado por un rayo the ship struck an iceberg exp. el buque chocó con {or} contra un iceberg the clock struck the half-hour exp. el reloj dio y media {or} dio la media it forcefully struck him that ... exp. le llamó poderosamente la atención que ... the tower was struck by lightning exp. cayó un rayo en la torre the tower was struck by lightning exp. la torre fue alcanzada por un rayo he survived being struck by lightning exp. sobrevivió tras haberle caído un rayo the storm struck violently and destructively exp. la tormenta se abatió violenta y destructiva a ghastly sight struck our eyes exp. se nos presentó un panorama horroroso they struck sparks off each other exp. por efecto mutuo hacían chispear el ingenio (IDIOMS) his van allegedly struck two people exp. según se afirma {or} supuestamente, su furgon... his speech struck the right/wrong note exp. su discurso fue/no fue acertado the clock has struck exp. ha dado la hora ya where the lightning struck exp. donde cayó el rayo » Ver todos los resultados *** struck también se encontró en el diccionario Español-Inglés recibir un golpe exp. be struck lo vino Dios a ver exp. he struck lucky (MODISMOS) se sacó la lotería exp. he struck lucky [Fig.] se le apareció la Virgen exp. he struck lucky le cayó {o} le tocó la lotería exp. he struck lucky [Fig.] quedarse en la luna de Paita exp. to be struck dumb [Latam] Andes;(MO... el reloj dio las tres exp. the clock struck three acaban de sonar las diez exp. it has just struck ten el buque chocó con una mina exp. the ship struck a mine le asaltó una idea exp. he was struck by an idea