Groundwater

Groundwater, written by Sean McCollum. Focus question, why is groundwater important?

《地下水》，肖恩·麦克勒姆著 探究问题：地下水为什么很重要？

when the water runs out. Picture getting up one morning, turning on the faucet, and getting nothing but a gurgle. This happened in a part of California that is famous for its fruits and vegetables. Years of drought there meant little rain. To irrigate their crops, Farmers pumped huge amounts of groundwater from under the land. The result was some 2 ,000 dry wells in 2014. Unfortunately, California isn't the only place with a water crisis.

当水用完的时候 想象一下，某天早上你起床打开水龙头，只听到咕噜声，却没有半滴水流出 这件事就发生在加州一个以果蔬闻名的地区 那里连年干旱，降雨量少得可怜 农民为了灌溉作物，从地下抽取了巨量的地下水 结果在2014年，约有2000口水井干涸了 可惜的是，并不是只有加州面临水危机

What and where is groundwater? Many of us look at a globe and think the planet holds plenty of water for all our needs. Most of Earth's water is in our oceans, however, and full of salt. Fresh water keeps us alive, yet very little of Earth's water is fresh. Of that small amount, most is frozen. Scientists say that 99 % of Earth's usable water is in the ground. Most groundwater is stored beneath land in aquifers. These are underground layers of rock, gravel, and sand that hold groundwater like huge sponges. Rain and melting snow flow very slowly into the surface soil and rock to feed the aquifers.

地下水是什么，在哪里？ 很多人看地球仪时都会觉得，地球储存了足够多的水，能满足我们所有需求 不过地球上大部分水都在海洋里，而且饱含盐分 淡水维系着我们的生命，可地球上只有极少部分的水是淡水 在这少量淡水中，大部分还被冻结成冰 科学家表示，地球上99%可使用的水都藏在地下 大部分地下水都储存在陆地下方的含水层中 它们就像巨大的海绵，是由地下岩石、砾石和沙层构成，储存着地下水 雨水和融化的雪水慢慢渗入表层土壤和岩石，补给含水层

Aquifers can reach down thousands of feet and extend for thousands of miles. They feed our rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Their fresh water also irrigates the best farming areas in the world. For more than a century, people have been pumping billions of gallons of water from underground to drink, grow crops, and meet other needs. Even during a drought, communities and farms above aquifers can draw groundwater. It keeps many of us from going hungry and thirsty. The trouble is that groundwater levels are falling fast. People near and far must conserve this life -giving resource.

含水层能深入数千英尺，范围延伸数千英里 它们补给着我们的河流、湖泊和湿地 含水层里的淡水还灌溉着世界上最优质的农业区 一个多世纪以来，人们已经从地下抽取了数十亿加仑的水，用于饮用、种植作物和满足其他需求 就算遭遇干旱，含水层上方的社区和农场依然可以抽取地下水 它让我们很多人免于挨饿受渴 问题在于，地下水位正在快速下降 各地人们都必须保护这份孕育生命的资源

Too Many Straws We are pumping groundwater faster than nature can replace it, experts say. Since 1995, water levels have dropped in almost two -thirds of the wells across the United States.

太多根吸管 专家称，我们抽取地下水的速度已经超过了大自然的补给速度 自1995年以来，美国近三分之二的水井水位都出现了下降

Competition for groundwater is causing conflict in some farming areas. In Northern California, for example, winemakers grow fields of grapes, which need large amounts of water. Many of these winemakers have drilled deep wells to make sure they can get the groundwater they need. Without it, they might go out of business. Many smaller farmers and homeowners nearby, though, blame winemakers for sucking up too much of the groundwater they all share. In many cases, these smaller property owners cannot afford to drill deeper wells for themselves. As a result, their shallower wells go dry. It's as if everyone has their straws in the same drink, but some farms and businesses can pay for more and longer straws. This problem raises big questions. Who owns groundwater? What is fair?

争夺地下水已经让部分农业区爆发冲突 比如加州北部，酿酒商种植大片葡萄，需要消耗大量水资源 很多酿酒商都钻了深水井，确保能获得所需的地下水 没有地下水，他们可能就会破产 不过附近的许多小农场主和住户都指责酿酒商抽走了太多大家共有的地下水 很多情况下，这些小业主根本没钱钻更深的井 结果他们水位较浅的水井就干涸了 这就好比所有人都把吸管插进同一杯饮料，可有些农场和企业买得起更多更长的吸管 这个问题引出了几个重大问题 地下水属于谁？ 怎样才算公平？