This is just one post in the Agriculture Category

Wells running dry in Visalia; Water table low because of housing, retail development

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 2, 2008 at 10:08 pm

Thanks to Aquafornia reader John for sending me this link! From the Visalia Times-Delta:

Lane Fye was surprised last week to discover that his water well in south Visalia had come up dry. “[It] cost me $1,800 to get it drilled deeper,” he said.

Fye called on the services of Brian Geary, manager of Visalia-based Carver Pumps. The call came as no surprise — a combination of mediocre rainfall and high demand are causing wells to dry up throughout the Central Valley, Geary said. The problem is particularly acute in south Visalia, he said. “We’ve been very, very busy lately,” he said.

Ever-expanding housing developments, farm irrigation and the construction of major retail outlets in the Packwood Creek area have created a “perfect storm” of water demand in south Visalia, officials say. Projects such as the new Costco store and various McMillin Homes projects use a lot of water, Fye said.

With no irrigation water scheduled to be delivered until late June, farmers are also relying more on groundwater, which isn’t helping. Check out the rest of this article from the Visalia Times-Delta by clicking here.

June 2, 2008 · Filed Under Agriculture, San Joaquin Valley

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