Producer Ronan Sharkey and reporter Dean Cornish’s recent Dateline story takes us to drought-stricken areas in California, with a particular focus on the farming community of East Porterville and the barren landscape of Owen’s Valley.
In this podcast with Dateline intern Jennie Feyen, Ronan shares his admiration for local resident Angelica and the way she’s forced to look after her family with extremely limited access to water. Unable to leave the area as the harsh living conditions have made her house unsellable, she still manages to help the community by supplying her neighbours with much needed bottled water.
The beauty of the arid American landscape influenced the visual style of the film, Ronan says, noting that many Westerns were shot in Owen’s Valley.
“A hundred years ago, Owen’s Lake was the centrepiece of Owen’s Valley and it was this enormous, expansive water with steamboats criss-crossing. Now it’s like a lunar landscape.”
He also draws a connection with Australia and our own battles with drought in rural areas – will we also face the possibility of a water war?
Listen to Ronan and Jennie's chat here:
