Groundwater Overpumping Causes Land Subsidence in San Joaquin Valley City of Corcoran

Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

In the fertile lands of the San Joaquin Valley, a silent crisis brews beneath the surface. Despite urgent pleas from local officials and environmentalists, agricultural magnates continue their relentless extraction of groundwater.

The city of Corcoran, a community of approximately 20,000 residents and home to a maximum-security prison, is sinking.

The persistent over-pumping of groundwater by major landowners in the Tulare Lake Basin has initiated a slow-motion collapse of the valley floor.

The Unyielding Groundwater Extraction

The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world, producing more than half of the nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

However, this bounty comes at a steep price: the depletion of the basin’s aquifers, which are not only essential for agriculture but also integral to the community’s survival.

According to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey, the valley has lost about 41 cubic kilometers of groundwater since 1980, enough to fill Lake Tahoe. This has caused the land to subside, or sink, by as much as 8.5 meters in some areas.

The subsidence has damaged roads, bridges, canals, and other infrastructure, posing a threat to public safety and the environment.

One of the most affected areas is Corcoran, where the land has sunk by more than 3.5 meters since the 1920s.

The town is surrounded by a levee that protects it from the floodwaters of the nearby Kings River. However, as the land sinks, the levee becomes less effective, exposing the town to the risk of inundation.

The groundwater pumping in the Tulare Lake Basin is mainly driven by […]

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