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NASA report reveals California is drawing too much out of its groundwater account

Posted by: Maven on December 20, 2009 at 8:31 am

From Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog:

“A new report from NASA reveals that the Central Valley has lost enormous amounts of groundwater over the past six years. Taken together, the Sacramento and San Joaquin drainages have lost more than 30 cubic kilometers of water since 2003–enough to fill Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the country.

These stark numbers reveal how severe California’s groundwater overdraft problem is.

What happened to all of the water? Most of it was pumped out and used for irrigation. But because this groundwater has been drained out faster than Mother Nature can replenish it, wells are starting to run dry.

Think of some Central Valley irrigators as the guy who writes too many checks on the family bank account. After a string of bad checks, the bank simply shuts the account down, and the rest of the family members are left in the lurch. In the case of groundwater, the overdraft is depleting one of the most precious resources we have in our semi-arid state. California has hit peak water. We have run out of rivers to tap and dams to build. With a finite water supply, we can’t afford to squander groundwater too.

That’s why, as in all Western water conflicts, people are quick to assign blame. … “

Continue reading Barry Nelson’s post at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.

December 20, 2009 · Filed Under Groundwater

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