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Central Valley groundwater pumping, land-sinking stressing Aqueduct. Is there a fix?
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/article311088690.htmlCentral Valley groundwater pumping, land-sinking stressing Aqueduct. Is there a fix?
By Erik Galicia
Updated August 18, 2025 1:45 PM
Years of collapsing areas of land in the San Joaquin Valley — caused primarily by the over-pumping of groundwater for farming — has taken a toll on California’s largest water delivery system that relies on stable land to work well.
A state report released this year determined its 2023 annual water delivery capability had fallen 3% compared to original-design deliveries. If no action is taken, it could fall up to 87% by 2043.
…
“There are no quick solutions,” DWR engineer Jesse Dillon told The Fresno Bee. “Everybody’s going to need to realize that this is as big a problem as it is.”
Dillon is a manager for a program created to address subsidence impacting the California Aqueduct, a 444-mile canal system that uses gravity and pumping to move water across California from north to south. It’s part of the State Water Project, a system more than 700 miles long that delivers surface water to contractors with member agencies that serve farms, businesses and 27 million Californians.
…
By Erik Galicia
Updated August 18, 2025 1:45 PM
Years of collapsing areas of land in the San Joaquin Valley — caused primarily by the over-pumping of groundwater for farming — has taken a toll on California’s largest water delivery system that relies on stable land to work well.
A state report released this year determined its 2023 annual water delivery capability had fallen 3% compared to original-design deliveries. If no action is taken, it could fall up to 87% by 2043.
…
“There are no quick solutions,” DWR engineer Jesse Dillon told The Fresno Bee. “Everybody’s going to need to realize that this is as big a problem as it is.”
Dillon is a manager for a program created to address subsidence impacting the California Aqueduct, a 444-mile canal system that uses gravity and pumping to move water across California from north to south. It’s part of the State Water Project, a system more than 700 miles long that delivers surface water to contractors with member agencies that serve farms, businesses and 27 million Californians.
…