美国国家公共电台 NPR--Amid climate change, water managers see promise in recycled wastewater

Amid climate change, water managers see promise in recycled wastewater

Transcript¹

Las Vegas is prepared to pay Southern California $750 million to drink water recycled from sewage. It's because of the southwestern megadrought.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Las Vegas is prepared to pay Southern California $750 million to drink water that's been recycled from sewage. Why? Well, because of the ongoing² megadrought in the Southwest. Alex Hager with member station KUNC reports.

ALEX HAGER, BYLINE³: Millions of Californians have already been using recycled wastewater for years for things like watering lawns, taking showers and, yes, drinking. It comes from facilities like this one near LA, where a complicated setup of pipes and pumps is pulling water from the sewage treatment plant next door and making it ready to drink. Rupam Soni, with the Metropolitan⁵ Water District of Southern California, is showing me around.

RUPAM SONI: So now this water looks like what you expect water to look like. It's really clean and pure after this point.

HAGER: Water re-use can feel like an odd proposition, especially when you consider where it was used before.

The water that's flowing in here is coming from flushed toilets and kitchen sinks and shower drains?

SONI: Exactly.

HAGER: There are plans to expand this small demonstration⁷ plant to produce 300 times the water it makes now. That'll cost more than $3 billion and more than 100 million to operate each year. But the Colorado River is drying up, so water managers are scrambling⁸ to boost supplies. Soni says this is a way to help keep taps flowing for about 19 million people.

SONI: Yeah. It's super exciting. It is going to make a substantial change. It is going to provide a new supply.

HAGER: And Southern California isn't going to foot the whole bill. People further upstream are going to help with that. David Johnson is with the Southern Nevada Water Authority, which serves the Las Vegas metro⁴ area.

DAVID JOHNSON: I think it's really a perfect solution for Southern California. And I think it's a perfect opportunity for us to be able to partner, too, and demonstrate that partnership⁹ in a tangible¹⁰ way.

HAGER: While this whole region needs to cut back on water use, negotiations¹¹ between the states for how to do that have been unproductive. There's been lots of finger-pointing and little compromise. So this collaborative energy stands out. The deal will work like this. Johnson's agency in Nevada is ready to put up $750 million to help pay for this recycling project in Southern California, a facility that their customers will never use. But when Los Angeles is flush with more potable water, it won't have to drawdown Colorado River reservoirs, like Lake Mead¹². And that conserved¹³ water will be freed up for all the people in Las Vegas.

JOHNSON: We would be able to actually not have to build any of that transportation infrastructure¹⁴ to be able to get water from one location to another. So it just makes a lot of sense to us.

HAGER: But that trade isn't cheap. Recycled water costs about twice as much as current supplies. Felicia Marcus says it's worth it.

FELICIA MARCUS: There's not a lot of a con⁶ other than it's expensive. But it's a smart investment. I mean, my view is that it'll be priceless in the future.

HAGER: Marcus has chaired California's water control board and the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. She says it makes sense that agencies in Nevada and Arizona are already putting millions toward securing a supply for the future.

MARCUS: The reality we're in now won't exist under climate change. So we have to look at, what's the economic cost of not having that water?

HAGER: The Southwest is dry. And climate scientists say it's getting drier. Temperatures are rising. Snow is melting faster. And flows in western rivers and streams are projected to drop another 10 to 20% by the middle of this century. Water recycling won't solve the region's inability to meet demand. But it'll be one way to help keep water flowing, as there's less and less to go around.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Hager in Carson, Calif.

(SOUNDBITE OF THE END OF THE OCEAN'S "LIKE HONEY FROM THE BRANCH")

1 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。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 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。

4 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

5 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

6 con   

n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的

参考例句：

• We must be fair and consider the reason pro and con.我们必须公平考虑赞成和反对的理由。
• The motion is adopted non con.因无人投反对票，协议被通过。

7 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

8 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

10 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 mead   

n.蜂蜜酒

参考例句：

• He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
• He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。

13 conserved   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He conserved his energy for the game. 他为比赛而养精蓄锐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under these conditions, the total mechanical energy remains constant, or is conserved. 在这种条件下，总机械能保持不变或机械能保存。 来自辞典例句

14 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。