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Some lawmakers in the U.S. state of California want to use taxpayer money to buy out farmers.
美国加利福尼亚州的一些立法者希望用纳税人的钱来买断农民的产权。
A proposal in the state Senate would spend up to $1.5 billion for their "senior water rights."
州参议院的一项提案将花费高达15亿美元购买他们的“高级水权”。
That would permit farmers to take as much water as needed from the state's rivers and streams to grow their crops.
这将允许农民从该州的河流和溪流中获取足够的水来种植他们的作物。
If state officials owned those rights, they could leave the water in the rivers to aid endangered salmon and other fish.
如果州官员拥有这些权利，他们就可以把水留在河里，以帮助濒临灭绝的鲑鱼和其他鱼类。
California has faced severe lack of water for most of the last 20 years.
在过去20年的大部分时间里，加州面临着严重缺水的问题。
Lawmakers want to more closely examine the state's complex water system to see how it might be changed to ensure continual supplies during especially dry periods.
立法者们希望更仔细地检查该州复杂的供水系统，看看如何改变它，以确保在特别干旱的时期不间断供水。
A separate state proposal would pay farmers to grow fewer crops to save water.
另一项州提案将向农民提供补贴，让他们少种农作物以节约用水。
Currently, about 98 percent of the state has severe drought conditions.
目前，该州约98%的地区干旱严重。
Summer months in California rarely produce any major rainfall.
加州夏季的几个月里很少有大规模降雨。
Many areas have begun restricting water use for homeowners.
许多地区已经开始限制房主用水。
And farmers have had their water supply from the two major state-owned water systems reduced or, in some cases, completely shut off.
农民从该州两大供水系统获得的水资源已经减少，在某些情况下，甚至完全被切断。
Legally, all the water in California is the property of the government.
从法律上讲，加州所有的水资源都是政府的财产。
But farmers have "water rights" that let them take water for agriculture.
但农民拥有允许他们取水用于农业的“水权”。
Farmers have used those rights to turn California's Central Valley into a major agricultural center.
农民们利用这些权利将加州的中央山谷变成了一个主要的农业中心。
The area provides much of the nation's fruits, nuts and vegetables.
该地区为该国提供了大部分水果、坚果和蔬菜。
California now has a record budget surplus of nearly $100 billion.
加州目前有近1000亿美元的创纪录的预算盈余。
The $1.5 billion proposal to buy senior water rights would involve either buying the land connected with the rights or buying just the right itself.
这项用15亿美元购买高级水权的提议将会涉及购买与水权相关的土地，或者只购买水权。
Lawmakers could also require that the water be used for fish and other animals and plants.
立法者还可以要求把这些水用于鱼类和其他动植物。
The proposal is part of budget negotiations between lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration that should be completed by the end of this month.
这项提案是立法者和州长加文·纽瑟姆所领导的政府之间预算谈判的一部分，谈判应该会在本月底之前完成。
Regulators measure water by "acre foot."
监管机构用“英亩英尺”来测量水资源。
An acre foot is defined as enough water to cover 1 acre, or 0.4 hectares of land to a depth of 30 centimeters.
一英亩英尺指的是足够覆盖1英亩（即30厘米深0.4公顷）土地的水。
That is the same amount as 1.2 million liters.
这相当于120万升。
The $1.5 billion would be enough to buy about 200,000 acre feet of water.
15亿美元足够买约20万英亩英尺的水。
That amount is based on an average price of $7,500 per acre foot, says Tom Birmingham.
汤姆·伯明翰说，这个数字是基于每英亩英尺7500美元的平均价格计算的。
He is the supervisor of Westlands Water District, the largest agricultural water district in the U.S.
他是美国最大的农业水区韦斯特兰水区的主管。
Right now, the only way to get more water flowing in rivers and streams is to get state and federal regulators to change the rules.
目前，让更多的水流入河流和溪流的唯一方法是让州和联邦监管机构改变规则。
They can do that by requiring more water be left in rivers and streams.
他们可以通过要求把更多的水留在河流和溪流中来做到这一点。
But that means less water for farmers.
但这意味着农民用水更少。
Those rule changes often bring about lawsuits that can take 10 years or longer to reach a decision, said Lester Snow.
莱斯特·斯诺说，这些规则的变化往往会招致诉讼，而这些诉讼可能需要10年或更长时间才能做出裁决。
He is a former secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency and regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
他曾任加利福尼亚州自然资源部部长兼美国垦务局地区主任。
"We need a way to take much quicker action. And I think acquiring water rights for that purpose is one of the ways to do that," he said.
他说：“我们需要一种更快采取行动的方法。我认为为此目的而获得水权是做到这一点的方法之一”。
"With climate change, we just don't have that kind of time."
“面对气候变化，我们没有那么多时间。”
For this to work, farmers would have to voluntarily sell their water rights.
要想让其起作用，农民必须自愿出售他们的水权。
Tom Birmingham says that should not be a problem.
汤姆·伯明翰表示，这应该不是问题。
Lots of farmers try to sell their water rights to Westlands Water District every year, he said.
他说，每年都有许多农民试图将他们的水权卖给韦斯特兰水区。
Birmingham added, "For many farmers ... their children simply are not interested in continuing to farm."
伯明翰还说：“对许多农民来说……他们的孩子对继续务农不感兴趣。”
I'm Ashley Thompson.
阿什利·汤普森为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
