California's sinking land threatens vital water canals

Scott Smith, Associated Press Updated 3:18 pm, Thursday, February 9, 2017





FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Land in California's Central Valley is sinking so much from over-pumping of groundwater during the drought that officials said Thursday they will press for new laws to limit drilling.

The sinking threatens to curtail as much as one-fifth of water deliveries through the vital California Aqueduct to San Joaquin Valley farms and millions of Southern California residents, state water managers said.

 
They cited NASA satellite images that show the land dropping in places by as much as a foot a year.

In 2014, lawmakers approved legislation ending a Gold Rush-era policy that generally let property owners pump as much water as they wanted. However, the law gave local agencies until 2040 to fully implement groundwater plans.

More:
http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/California-s-sinking-land-threatens-vital-water-10921098.php