California is experiencing the worst drought in decades. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state drought emergency last January and asked residents to reduce their water use. Youth reporters from New America Media’s youth-led community projects went out with cameras to document the impact of the drought on their Central Valley communities. Below are some of the pictures they gathered.
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- When this part of the lake dried up, it left the boat on sand and brush. Bass Lake, Fresno. Photograph by Faith Her, 13.
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- “Due to the drought we have refrained from watering our lawn as an attempt to save water.”— Luis Figueroa and his children, Taft. Photograph by Daniel Jimenez, 21.
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- “My mom and dad talk about the drought. They worry about it a lot. Sometimes I worry that if it gets worse we’ll run out of water and die.”—Stephanie Gurtel, 12, whose parents work as seasonal manual laborers in Merced. Photograph by Alyssa Castro, 21.
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- “I remember going swimming more last summer. I haven’t been swimming as much as I wanted to this summer because there’s not enough water. If you have a pool and you want to swim, you have to have water inside the pool.”—Haidyn Reyes, 7. Photograph by Alyssa Castro, 21.
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- “My brothers and I used to go fishing for crabs in this canal. Now it is completely dry.”—Lizbeth Vazquez, 17, Merced. Photograph by Alyssa Castro, 21.
Read the full article on South Kern Sol
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