A drought-hit US town finds itself sinking into the ground
““You’ve got too many farmers pumping all around,” complained Raul Atilano. This octogenarian resident of Corcoran, the self-proclaimed farming capital of California, was struggling to make sense of the strangest of phenomena: his already suffering town is sinking, ever so gradually, into the ground. A constant stream of trucks carrying tomatoes, alfalfa or cotton outside this town of 20,000 shows just how inextricably Corcoran’s fate is tied to the intensive farming practiced here. To irrigate its vast fields and help feed America, farm operators began in the last century to pump water from underground sources, so much so that the ground has begun to sink — imagine a series of giant straws sucking up groundwater faster than rain can replenish it, as hydrologist Anne Senter explained it to AFP. … ” Read more from NDTV here: A drought-hit US town finds itself sinking into the ground
Tracy: Plan affecting groundwater wells up for review
“The status of the groundwater aquifer around Tracy will be up for review in the coming months, with an online forum next week the public’s chance to talk about how use of that aquifer could affect local groundwater wells in and around Tracy. … The Tracy Subbasin – a 345,000-acre area with the San Joaquin River on the eastern boundary and Old River to the west, extending north to Mandeville Island – includes the City of Tracy, is considered a medium priority “non-critically overdrafted” basin, meaning that the groundwater sustainability plan for the subbasin must be completed by the end of January 2022. … ” Read more from the Tracy Press here: Plan affecting groundwater wells up for review
Flood irrigation: It keeps water flowing to homes in Manteca, Ripon, Lathrop, & elsewhere in water basin
“Head into the countryside outside of Manteca and Ripon and you will come across a sight that you might view as insanity given the severe drought. There are literally hundreds if not thousands of acres of almond orchards and other cropland being flood irrigated. What looks like a waste of water is actually helping keep water flowing to your home to wash clothes, drink, flush toilets, shower or bathe, and wash dishes and such if you live in Manteca, Ripon, Stockton, Lathrop, Escalon and Lodi. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Flood irrigation: It keeps water flowing to homes in Manteca, Ripon, Lathrop, & elsewhere in water basin
Monterey Peninsula well failed, allowing saltier water to mix with drinking water
“Monterey Peninsula water officials are breathing a sigh of relief after a monitoring well in the Seaside Basin picked up increased salt levels, prompting concerns that an underground reservoir of potable water was being infiltrated by seawater. But it turned out the salts were from a failed well casing that allowed saltier shallow water from the Dune Sands to enter into the well and cross-contaminate the deeper body of water called the Paso Robles Aquifer that is tapped for drinking water. That aquifer can be thought of as a layer of water within the Seaside Basin. ... ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Monterey Peninsula well failed, allowing saltier water to mix with drinking water
Ridgecrest: Court backs IWVGA in battle over replenishment fees
“Two motions to block the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s groundwater replenishment fee were shot down in court this week. Judge Kirk H. Nakamura of Orange County Superior Court granted motions filed by the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority to dismiss two separate actions filed by Searles Valley Minerals and Mojave Pistachios. The actions were aimed at stopping the collection of the groundwater replenishment fee, which was imposed last January to fund the cost of securing rights to water to bring to the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Court backs IWVGA in battle over replenishment fees