Tag: subsidence
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California lawmakers reject proposal to curb well-drilling where nearby wells could run dry
A worker places gravel around a newly drilled water well at a home in Fresno County in 2023. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Over the past several years, California’s water managers have seen a pattern emerge in farming areas of the Central Valley: Even as declining groundwater levels have left thousands of residents with…
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Overdrafting? Corcoran has sunk nearly 5 feet
Land subsidence remains the biggest issue in the new state regulation of groundwater. The state Water Board reports that subsidence measured as much as 7 feet just east of Corcoran between June 2015 and January 2024. Groundwater pumping west of Highway 99 has caused the land to sink at least 4 to 5 feet according…
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In a first, California cracks down on farms guzzling groundwater
Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Regulators just imposed unprecedented fees on water usage in the state’s agricultural heartland. In much of the United States, groundwater extraction is unregulated and unlimited. There are few rules governing who can pump water from underground aquifers or how much they can take. This lack of regulation has…
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Checking Up on Montezuma Wetlands: Mud on the Rise
Photo: Mary K. Miller The drive down Fire Truck Road to the Montezuma Wetlands Project, where the Delta and Suisun Bay converge with the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers, feels out of place from much of the Bay Area, sparsely dotted as it is with farms, cattle and wind turbines rather than housing tracts.…
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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…
