Wells Have Run Dry In One Central California Community

NPR

Published October 13, 2014 at 12:10 PM EDT

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The barren river bed in the photo on the left is the channel off of the Tule River that in a wet year refuels the aquifer to homes in East Porterville. The photo on the right is of the Tule River just a mile north of where the wells have gone dry. (Ezra David Romero/KVPR)

Drought conditions have gotten so bad in California that in some places, turning on the tap and having nothing come out is commonplace.

The lack of running water has especially plagued the little farming town of East Porterville in the San Joaquin Valley, leaving scores of homes without working wells.

Valley Public Radio’s Ezra David Romero visited the community and found a dry river, dry wells, and people whose basic needs are threatened.

KVPR: In East Porterville “They Were Drinking Water That Looked Yellow And Red”

Reporter

Ezra David Romero, reporter for Valley Public Radio. He tweets @ezraromero. His story is part of the California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship, a program of the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism.