Sinking is a symptom of a larger threat.
La Paz County, Arizona — go to town Wendenwest of Phoenix, is a small farming town with lots of green fields.
If you go there a year from now, you'll find it's nearly three inches lower than when you first saw it.
That's because Wenden, along with the rest of La Paz County, is sinking. Over the past 80 years, the town's elevation has dropped 18 feet, according to state watershed data.
And experts say groundwater depletion due to unrestricted pumping is likely to blame.
“We're very good at pumping water out much faster than nature can replenish it,” says Sarah Porter. kill center ASU water policy official said:
In areas that are not actively managed, primarily rural areas away from large cities and towns, groundwater can be pumped without limit. Nor is there a state agency that tracks how much water is being pumped out of the ground in these areas.
The problem occurs when excessive amounts of groundwater are pumped out of the ground, leaving the ground compacted.
According to Porter, groundwater is like a sponge. Water is found in small cracks and crevices between rocks, soil, and sand. When water is pumped out, everything is compacted in a process called settlement.
However, unlike a sponge, once the groundwater runs out, you can't pour water into it to make it “fluffy” again.
“The aquifer will no longer be able to store it,” Porter said. “Has completed.”
This means that not only is water lost, but the ability to store water is also lost.
Porter said the subsidence has been occurring gradually over the years, and when it is noticed, it is mainly visible in cracks in the road.
Sinking is a sign of a larger threat. Groundwater depletion may become so severe that groundwater may no longer be available.
“That's the biggest problem with aquifer depletion,” Porter said.
So far, the country has not changed the law that allows unlimited groundwater pumping, but it has canceled a lease with a Saudi company that pumps millions of gallons of water for alfalfa farming.
Large water users have been stripped away, but the ability to pump large amounts of groundwater for others still remains.
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