Water restrictions are in place as the historic drought persists in the West

Water restrictions² are in place as the historic drought persists in the West

　　Transcript³

　　Government scientists say the West's megadrought will continue — and possibly worsen — through spring. That's raising concerns about water shortages and fire danger.

　　A MARTINEZ, HOST:

　　Federal forecasters say the West's historic megadrought will worsen through the spring. That's raising concerns about water shortages and fire danger. Ezra David Romero of member station KQED explains.

　　EZRA DAVID ROMERO, BYLINE⁴: Lake Powell, one of the most iconic reservoirs in the West, hit an all-time low level last week. And it's not alone. Reservoirs that supply water for 2 million people in the San Jose area of California are only a quarter full. A 15% mandatory⁵ water restriction¹ is in place, says Matt Keller with the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

　　MATT KELLER: We can hope for rain. But, you know, hope's not enough. We have to take action. I mean, everything is on the table.

　　ROMERO: About half of the district's water is imported from out of the area, majority from the Sierra Nevada snowpack a hundred miles away. But the agency is supposed to receive less than 20% of the water it usually gets from the Sierra. Similar restrictions are in place in Sacramento, the state's capital.

　　Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

　　DARRELL STEINBERG: We are living through the real-life water impacts of climate change. Unfortunately, our work has just begun when it comes to conservation.

　　ROMERO: The megadrought across the West has stretched for more than two decades, and scientists say it's been fueled by human-caused climate change. While promised water deliveries to California's farms and cities keep dwindling⁶, state leaders have not mandated⁷ water restrictions. But that could change. Joaquin Esquivel is on the California Water Resources Control Board.

　　JOAQUIN ESQUIVEL: We're preparing, imagining worst-case scenarios⁸ and empowering local communities to manage through the drought through resources.

　　ROMERO: Resources like millions of dollars in grants for communities who need drinking water or whose wells have gone dry. Federal meteorologists say it's not just that spring and summer will be dry; it could be warmer than normal. Jon Gottschalk is a forecaster with NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

　　JON GOTTSCHALK: But as we move further out into the spring and summer, we expect the odds⁹ for above-normal temperatures to increase across the entire state of California.

　　ROMERO: And dry conditions, especially in forests married with warm temperatures, mean a high probability of wildfire. And that's more of the same for West Coasters, who are increasingly used to living with this fire risk.

　　For NPR News, I'm Ezra David Romero in San Francisco.

　　(SOUNDBITE OF CROWSONG'S "DESERT SONG")

1 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

6 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

7 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

8 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？