Over the past decade, parts of California have plummeted by multiple feet, according to satellite measurements. The San Joaquin Valley saw the biggest drops, with parts of the Tulare Basin sinking more than seven feet between 2015 and 2025. Although the most dramatic declines occurred during drought years, subsidence did not stop when wetter conditions returned: even from 2024 to 2025, sections of the basin sank by as much as five inches. … Multiple factors drive vertical land motion, but California’s subsidence has largely been due to agricultural pumping for groundwater, said Paul Gosselin, deputy director for sustainable water management for the California Department of Water Resources.

Other groundwater news:

• The Sacramento Bee (Calif.): ‘Quite a surprise.’ Yolo County farmer lauded for her groundwater advocacy work
• New Times (San Luis Obispo, Calif.): County launches voluntary land fallowing program to protect Paso Robles Groundwater Basin