In search of water, farmers undermined the San Joaquin Valley. Can collective effort raise their fields, canals – and prospects?
Of all the risks farmers face in the San Joaquin Valley – floods, droughts, fluctuating commodity prices, labor and its costs – one now dominates their lives. The very land they work is sinking beneath their feet. This phenomenon, known as subsidence, threatens agricultural and other infrastructure and incurs staggering repair costs. … Subsidence has strained relations among farmers who disagree on which pumping – or whose – causes the problem, how to pay for repairs, and how to satisfy the various needs of the state and the owners and managers of the damaged canals.
Other groundwater news:
- Farm Progress: Depleting aquifers necessitate new groundwater regulations
- Invisible Waters: Blog: Visible and invisible signs
