"It's like déjà vu all over again" is one of the better quotes attributed to former New York Yankee great Yogi Berra.
How is this gem related to California's groundwater? It's the first thing that crossed my mind as I read the recent USGS media advisory:
Media Advisory: Land Subsidence Poses Risk to Water Infrastructure in California’s San Joaquin Valley
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Extensive groundwater pumping from San
Joaquin Valley aquifers is increasing the rate of land subsidence, or sinking, that could result in serious operational and structural challenges and repairs to water infrastructure, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey.
This subsidence is reducing the capacity of the Delta-Mendota Canal, the California Aqueduct, and other canals that transport floodwater and deliver water to agriculture, cities, industry and wildlife refuges, potentially causing damage and requiring expensive repairs. To help public agencies and resource managers minimize risk and damage to California’s infrastructure, the USGS is studying and providing information on groundwater conditions and land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley.
Here is a great summary of USGS hydrologist Michelle Sneed's discussion of the recent subsidence findings from Maven's Notebook. Here is a link to the report.
Land subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley! Good Lord, this is horrible! What can be done?
Well, folks, this is nothing new. California has known about land subsidence due to excessive groundwater pumping, especially in the San Joaquin Valley, since 1935. I'll repost the famous picture of Dr. Joe Poland, taken in 1977 near Mendota, CA, showing the extent of land subsidence between 1925 and 1977.
When I was a graduate student in the early 1970s the San Joaquin Valley was already one of the 'poster children' - along with Mexico City, Tokyo-Osaka, London, UK, and a few other places - for land subsidence due to groundwater withdrawal.
So what can be done? Read my earlier post of 10 September.
California refuses to do anything substantive about the subsidence issue. It lets local districts handle groundwater management. There is nothing wrong with this but without some kind of statewide oversight it is a fruitless endeavor. The state's approach is a great example of "California Dreamin'" and the operational definition of insanity.
If the legislature or governor refuses to do anything, perhaps it is time for California's legendary inititiative process to get something good on the ballot. Otherwise, I suspect that in ten or fifteen years "California Dreamin'" and groundwater insanity will remain the law of the land, people will be calling for urgent action, and I will be having yet another Yogi Berra moment (if I can remember who Yogi Berra is).
"The operational definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result".
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