Essay #1

GEOG 304 Fall 2014

Ariel Torres Lara
California Drought: Governing groundwater pumping
Most of the western U.S. states are experiencing a serious drought that
has jeopardized the wealth of the agricultural activity. Consequently, water
users

have

increasingly

turned

to

groundwater

resources

to

support

agriculture, intensify economic expansion, and nourish urban growth. Between

1985 and 2000 groundwater use in the U.S. increased by 14%, and more than
two-thirds of all groundwater withdrawn is for agricultural purposes [1].
California is the only state in America completely lacking in groundwater
regulations. Property owners, in many cases, can drill a well and extract all the
water they want, when they want, and with almost no oversight or limits [2, 3].
That is why there is the necessity to create laws that assure sustainable
development in groundwater pumping. Legislation of sustainable agencies with
the power to restrict groundwater pumping that can shut down harmful wells, if
it is necessary, and impose fines and criminal penalties. This is to ensure that
only as much water that is taken out is naturally or artificially replenished and
to protect quality of water.
Nowadays, most of the regulations on groundwater resources are based
on prior appropriation: first come, first serve. These people, the ones who
were there first, have priority over junior wells owners to use the resources.
And this has led to an inefficient, wasteful, and environmental destructive way
of getting water resources [1]. This is because groundwater has many different
characteristics and challenges that differentiates from surface water (where
prior appropriation works). Mainly because you can not see the impact while
withdrawing, and the environmental impacts may be not be appreciated in the
short term.
Californians are draining about 800 billions gallons of water annually from
Central Valley aquifer beneath the nations most productive farmlands [4]. They
are consuming twice as much groundwater as nature is returning through rain
and snow [3]. The intense use of wells has produced a variety of groundwater

problems, such as steeply decline water tables, land subsidence, the

destruction of riparian habitat, and water quality problems [1]. As an example
of this, the US Geological Survey found that a 1,200-square-mile swath of the
Central Valley, a landmass more than twice as large as Los Angeles, has been
sinking by an average of 11 inches per year [5]. In addition, a recent study
from University of California at Irvine found that from 2003 and 2010 the
Central Valley aquifer lost a volume equivalent to the capacity of Lake Mead,
the largest reservoir in the U.S [6].
So shifting to permitting system would transfer the control over water
from individuals water users to state government, allowing refusal to issue
permits, controlling water-pumping ratio, and ensuring sustainable use. Edella
Schalger [1] proposed a model where priority should be modified so that water
rights holders may have their water rights satisfied from a variety of sources.
This would mean estimating surface and groundwater availability for the year,
so as to treat groundwater and surface water as a single water source. This can
be incorporated as a principle for government regulations.
Sustainable agencies could undertake long-term water management
activities, being able to buy water, or capture stormwater, to recharge aquifers
and buy land to construct lakes or settle basins where water can be pooled to
soak into the ground. Protecting the quality of water preventing it from
pollution, and controlling the use of fertilizers and pesticides from farms. Due to
these problems, like as subsidence and water pollution to crops and population,
the regulations can be in some ways a way to resolve them.
Groundwater makes up about 60% of all fresh water consumed in
California during drought years, and about 40% in average year [2]. Therefore,
making a drastic change may be difficult and costly undertake, but it is a
cultural shift that it has to be made. Also implanting new regulations can
potentially undermine the economic health of farms. Groundwater users cannot
really measure the effects of their pumping, the use of wells is cheaper than
rerouting surface water, and therefore they are unwilling to reduce or cease
pumping. Moreover, they are not required to do that. Therefore, this changes
has to be combined with all stakeholders working in community and not at an
individual level, to make sure it reaches the achievements of the plan.

Nowadays, farmers are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to drill

even deeper wells; it is an arm race to who goes deeper. One deep well can
draw water away from other shallow well, eventually causing them to go dry, in
consequence, poor farmers that can not afford biggest (deepest) wells loose
their crops [3]. Controlling this, and working together, not only can save the
environment, but farmers costs and risks.
However, groundwater basins are difficult to govern because of
information deficits, identifying and mapping the boundaries. The various
aquifers within a basin and develop complex hydrological models is a time
consuming and expensive process [1]. Therefore, the first challenge is to
improve in technology and understand the groundwater hydrology in these
basins, so as to no to be wrong and turn basins into unsustainable conditions.
But these changes should be done in a short time, no more than 20
years, because by then the damage may long have been done [2].
Due to the severe drought that west states are living, in special
California, the groundwater pumping seems to be the best and cheapest
solution. Nowadays, groundwater is more reliable than surface water, but
actual regulations on pumping water does not suit sustainable development
but a major change has to be done.
Prior appropriation system is well suited for governing surface water, but
they are not particularly well suited for governing groundwater. This has led to
inefficient, wasteful, and environmental destructive way of getting water.
Problems such as subsidence and water pollution have to be solved. That is
why the legislation of sustainable agencies capable to restrict, control and
assure sustainable groundwater pumping, using other tools such as recharging
aquifers and preventing water from pollution, treating groundwater and surface
water as a single source may be the solution, or the first step to sustainable
development. And this has to be made in a community level, incorporating
every stakeholder involved.

References
[1] Edella Schalger, Challenges of governing groundwater in U.S. western
states, Hydrogeology Journal (2006) 14: 350-360.
[2] Matt Weiser, California poised to restrict groundwater dumping, The
Sacramento

Bee,

September

15,

2014,

accessed

October

1,

2014,

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/15/6706392/california-poised-to-restrict.html.
[3] Paul Rogers, California drought: regulations limiting groundwater pumping
under consideration by lawmakers, Los Angeles Daily New, September 10,
2014, accessed October 1, 2014, http://www.dailynews.com/environment-andnature/20140810/california-drought-regulations-limiting-groundwater-pumpingunder-consideration-by-lawmakers
[4] Jessica Calefati, Sweeping new California groundwater pumping rules
signed into lay by Gov. Jerry Brown, San Jose Mercury News, September 16,
2014,

accessed

October

1,

2014,

http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_26547666/sweeping-new-californiagroundwater-pumping-rules-signed-into
[5] Tom Philpott, California Farmers: Drill, Baby, Drill (for Water, That Is),
Mother

Jones,

April

2,

2014,

accessed

October

1,

2014,

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/04/california-droughtgroundwater-drilling.
[6] Jeremy Miller, Californias Lingering Drought and Pollution Defy Solutions,
Circle

of

Blue,

January

19,

2014,

accessed

October

1,

http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2014/world/north-south-californiasscarcer-water-supply-mismanaged-use-defy-solutions/.

2014,