E. Porterville, CA - Nearly Half Of 7,000 Residents Have No Water, Health Problems Multiplying

[hatrack]

Nearly a year and a half after East Porterville’s first dry well was reported, residents and experts say not having running water and breathing increasingly dusty air is worsening their pre-existing health issues and contributing to the development of new ones.

A 75-mile drive southeast of Fresno, East Porterville has been a household name since becoming one of the first Valley communities to shrivel under the drought. It remains the hardest hit, now with around 700 homes — some 3,000 people in the Tulare County town of 7,500 — reporting well failures.

With no central water system, families in town rely on shallow private wells, which started drying up after the nearby Tule River became a mere trickle. Rain and snowmelt replenish water below the ground, but 2013 and beyond have seen many rainless months. Snowmelt runoff in the Tule this season is almost nonexistent, less than one tenth of average. Right next door, Porterville, which uses a system with several dozen wells, still has water, but the city is enforcing strict watering restrictions and fines for violations.

EDIT

John Capitman, executive director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute, said the drought has already created a public health emergency in terms of the worsening air quality. But he said it will take a few years before health researchers can really demonstrate any other drought impacts on health. Sidhu said the drought affects her patients in more ways than the obvious. One example is that more people are coming in with urinary tract infections and skin infections.

Coughs that once lasted 10 days now remain two to three weeks, Sidhu said. For people with underlying health conditions, that time frame is longer. Some of her patients say they’ve been coughing for two months. “Even people who don’t have airway issues, they are becoming hyper-reactive to everything,” she said. “The air itself is becoming an allergen.” Doctors at Sierra View Medical Center in Porterville agreed. Spokeswoman Ramona Chiapa said doctors have seen increases in chronic bronchitis, COPD and asthma. Hospital data show the number of patients visiting the emergency room primarily complaining of breathing issues has increased by more than 25% since 2010.

EDIT

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article25023559.html

[patricia92243]

1. I never even thought about the drought affecting the air quality. Very scary n/t