Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
How cities are trying to stop their land from sinking
Groundwater has historically been a lifeline in California’s Coachella Valley. Water for farming, for your home and community? It came from under your feet, but the extractions didn’t go unnoticed. Much like a deflating balloon, the ground began to sink.
From 1995 to 2010, parts of the valley fell by as much 0.6 meters (2 feet), a process called land subsidence. The ground became destabilized, creating large cracks in the earth. Uneven sinking damaged the foundations of buildings and roads. The Coachella Canal started to sag so much that water flow was interrupted.
The scenario seemed all too familiar, especially in populated dry places. Another city pumped too much groundwater and began dropping, struggling with water demands and unstable land. But unlike in other sinking cities, water managers performed a rare feat: They paused the sinking, even partly reversing it in some areas.