California has lost more groundwater than held in all its reservoirs

2 years ago 150

Pumping h2o from aquifers successful California's Central Valley has caused the onshore to sink, permanently reducing the h2o retention capacity

Environment 20 October 2022

By James Dinneen

The New Melones Reservoir successful  California

The New Melones Reservoir successful California

George Rose/Getty Images

California’s Central Valley has mislaid astir 85 cubic kilometres of groundwater retention since 2004 owed to intensive pumping during periods of drought.

The Central Valley is 1 of the astir productive cultivation regions successful the world, increasing 40 per cent of the effect and nuts produced successful the US. When aboveground h2o is inadequate to irrigate each those crops, farmers pump groundwater from the region’s aquifer. For much than a century, farmers person pumped much groundwater than was replaced by snowmelt and rainfall, …

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