Thread: 1,200 square mile sinkhole still growing

USGS: Overpumping of Valley ground water causing massive sinkhole

BY J.N. SBRANTI
The Modesto Bee November 21, 2013 Updated 13 hours ago

Rick Hoelzel, manager of water resources for Kings River Conservation District, checks a remote telemetry system for a monitoring well. A dry winter forced farmers in Westlands Water District to run their wells far more last summer than they usually would. The underground water table dropped a staggering 48 feet in Westlands. Now, following a second dry winter, Westlands farmers will pump even more water, probably enough to fill 80% of Millerton Lake. Growers on millions of San Joaquin Valley acres in the nationÕs most productive farming belt face a cruel summer, too. Farm leaders say jobs will be lost, small-town economies and businesses will be harmed. And the ValleyÕs biggest reservoir Ñ the underground Ñ will be further drawn down, forcing many through the expense of redrilling wells and more electricity for pumping.

MARK CROSSE/THE FRESNO BEE

LOS BANOS — So much ground water is being pumped from the San Joaquin Valley that it's causing a massive swath of Merced County's surface to sink at an alarming rate, U.S. Geological Survey researchers revealed Thursday.

Parts of Merced near El Nido have dropped more than 21 inches in just two years. And researchers warn the deepening sinkhole now is spreading across 1,200 square miles -- from the cities of Merced on the north, to Los Banos on the west, Madera on the east and Mendota on the south.

That's a much larger region than previous studies had ever documented.

USGS officials said they fear sinking ground levels will wreak havoc on economically vital man-made structures like the Delta-Mendota Canal, the California Aqueduct and irrigation canals that serve Merced and Madera counties.

The sinking area includes part of the San Joaquin River and most of the Eastside Bypass, which is the primary flood control channel east of the river.

The sinking landscape has been accelerated by farmers who are pumping ground water to support crop expansions, area water leaders said earlier this year.

The farmers, who are east of the San Joaquin River in Madera County, have no other source of water. They did not realize their deep-water pumping was creating a problem.

Area water districts noticed the changes when they couldn't capture as much water as usual at nearby Sack Dam on the river.

Area farmer Cannon Michael said he questions the wisdom of growers who plant permanent crops, such as nut trees, on land that has no access to river or canal water. With no surface water, the grower must pump ground water to keep trees alive.

"Once you've made the investment, you have a hard demand for water," he said. "It's not sustainable."

When aquifers are being depleted, layers of clay collapse beneath the surface. That causes compression of the land above. Once that happens, the aquifers can never be refilled.

That's bad news for future ground water supplies. It's also bad for surface water supplies.

Researchers said the sinking ground is reducing the capacity of canals that transport floodwater and deliver water to agriculture, cities, industry and wildlife refuges. They warn that falling surface levels could cause infrastructure damage in local communities.

Over pumping of San Joaquin Valley aquifers has caused subsidence for decades. But USGS researchers report the current rate of decline is among the highest ever measured, and they discovered the problem's epicenter has shifted north to Merced County.

Comparing images and data from 2008 with 2010, they measured the subsidence and discovered the bowl of depression is much larger than originally believed. The worst area near El Nido is falling at a rate of nearly one foot per year.

A copy of the study is posted at www.modbee.com/groundwater.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/21/...#storylink=cpy

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/11/21/...ey-ground.html

New report warns: No groundwater refills after underground layers collapse

BY MARK GROSSI
The Fresno Bee
July 25, 2014 Updated 14 hours ago

Chase Hurley, general manager of the San Luis Canal Co., stands on Sack Dam, which is slowing sinking into the San Joaquin River east of Los Banos.

HECTOR AMEZCUA — hamezcua@sacbee.com

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Farm water pumping in this dramatic drought is causing the west San Joaquin Valley floor to sink, but forget about refilling those underground spaces when wet years return.

There is no going back after a clay-laced underground collapses, says a new report warning California of irreparable harm from excessive pumping.

"There are very costly consequences of land subsidence as we've discovered in the past," said Andrew Fahlund, deputy director of the nonprofit California Water Foundation. "And subsidence is threatening again."

The Sacramento-based foundation on Monday will release a report detailing the west side's troubled past, including $1.3 billion in damages. The foundation suggests more precise monitoring and better management of groundwater.

The Water Foundation recommends new state rules and local management of groundwater basins, saying that the drought has added urgency.

The drought has forced west Valley farmers on millions of acres to pump more underground water this year. The federal Central Valley Project this year is not delivering Northern California river water in many places.

In Westlands Water District, based in Fresno County, officials estimate a record 670,000 acre-feet will be pumped so farmers won't lose hundreds of millions of dollars in crops, such as almonds.

In the midst of the crisis, the Water Foundation is putting out a series of reports intended for water leaders all over the state. The Water Foundation is funded by two San Francisco-based foundations focused on promoting environmental stewardship, the S.D. Bechtel Jr. Foundation and the Pisces Foundation.

Groundwater is a big emphasis of the Water Foundation.
Earlier this year, the foundation issued a general report on California groundwater. Soon, the groundwater problems of California's Central Coast will take center stage.

The San Joaquin Valley, by far, has California's biggest store of underground water, which helps support the nation's most productive farming belt.

In its Valley groundwater report, the Water Foundation cites U.S. Geological Survey research, saying the ground sank nearly 30 feet near Mendota during a 50-year period ending in the 1970s.

Damages -- $1.3 billion in 2013 dollars -- were spread throughout the west side in canals, wells, buildings and roads. Lowered levees left some areas vulnerable to flooding.

Later, deliveries of Northern California river water allowed farmers to greatly reduce pumping, which largely stopped the sinking land.

But now the three-year drought and expansion of farming in areas with no access to river water have accelerated the sinking.

Scientists have identified increased sinking in two "bowls" -- one in Merced and Madera counties and a much larger one in the Tulare Lake Basin southwest of Tulare.

USGS hydrologist Michelle Sneed, who has studied the Valley for the past two decades, said the sinking land actually is happening faster now than it did before.

The sinking is not easy for most people to see. In the Merced County area, farm water leaders realized the land was sinking when they couldn't store as much water behind Sack Dam along the San Joaquin River.

Normally, the dam sticks up a foot and a half above the water, but not now.

"Last year, it was an inch and a half," said Chase Hurley, general manager of San Luis Canal Co., which owns the dam. "You can't physically see the land sinking. But we noticed it a couple of years ago because we couldn't get as much water through here."

Hurley wants to save the dam in his century-old, 45,000-acre district, which is spread between the cities of Dos Palos and Los Banos. He estimates that if the land sinking continues, it will require a $10 million pump project to lift water out of the river into his water system.

In addition, farmers in surrounding areas are discovering their $200,000 wells have stopped working because the sinking land twisted the shafts and prevented water from passing through. Repairs are expensive, and sometimes wells have to be abandoned.

In many places, once the ground collapses and compresses several feet, the underground loses the capacity to trap water because of clay in the soil, scientists say.

Many parts of the west side have underground clay layers, remnants of an ancient lake bottom. Once the water is squeezed out of these areas, they no longer hold water, scientists say.

Scientists, farmers and others on the west side need to learn a lot more about the underground water table, said Fahlund of the California Water Foundation.

California is one of the few states that does not yet have comprehensive rules and data collection for underground water.

Fahlund said the water crisis is an opportunity to establish the rules -- which have been a hot-button issue among landowners who do not want regulators on their property.

"I think regulation gets a bad name," he said. "It's a chance for planning and management of the groundwater."

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/07/25/...p=/99/406/263/

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/07/25/...#storylink=cpy

Drought Related


CA. Melted glacier sends miles of mud down Mt. Shasta

http://www.alipac.us/f19/ca-melted-g...shasta-311345/

Report: Groundwater pumping in California has land sinking

By SCOTT SMITH 8/19/2015

iew photo
This July 23, 2015 photo provided by the California Department of Water Resources shows The Russell Avenue bridge, over the Delta Mendota Canal in Firebaugh, Calif., The drought has caused the bridge to subside until there’s almost no space between bottom of bridge decking and canal water surface. A NASA scientist says in a report released Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015 that parts of California’s Central Valley are sinking faster than ever as groundwater is being pumped during the state’s historic drought. (Florence Low/ California Department of Water Resources via AP)

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — Vast areas of California's Central Valley are sinking faster than in the past as massive amounts of groundwater are pumped during the historic drought, state officials said Wednesday, citing new research by NASA scientists.

The data shows the ground is sinking nearly two inches each month in some places, putting roads, bridges and vital canals that deliver water throughout the state at growing risk of damage.

Sinking land has occurred for decades in California because of excessive groundwater pumping during dry years, but the new data shows it is happening faster as the state endures its fourth year of drought.

"We are pumping at historic levels," said Mark Cowin, head of the California Department of Water Resources. He added that groundwater levels are dropping to record levels — up to 100 feet lower than previously recorded.

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory did the research using images taken over time from satellites and airplanes.

California is the nation's leading agriculture state, but drought has put one-fifth more land out of production this year than last year.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed historic legislation last year that requires monitoring of groundwater pumping. However, local officials have until 2020 and in some cases until 2022 to write their management plans, so it could take another decade or two before California has a handle on groundwater use, Cowin said.

"I don't think we can end overdraft or subsidence overnight," he said.

"We do need to take action."

Meanwhile, the Department of Water Resources is launching a $10 million program to help counties with stressed groundwater basins to develop or strengthen local ordinances and conservation plans.

The NASA data shows land near the city of Corcoran sank 13 inches in eight months, and part of the California Aqueduct dropped eight inches in four months last year. The aqueduct spans hundreds of miles and provides water to million people and about vast areas of farmland.

Farmers in the Central California Irrigation District have spent $4.5 million to raise the walls on a canal and intend to pay $2.5 million to raise a bridge above the water.

"It's a vivid picture of what subsidence can do," said Christopher White, manager of the district that serves 1,900 farmers, who grow tomatoes, cotton, fruit, almonds and other crops in three counties.

Long-term subsidence has already destroyed thousands of public and private groundwater well casings in the San Joaquin Valley. Over time, subsidence can permanently reduce the underground aquifer's water storage capacity.

Lester Snow, executive director of the California Water Foundation, which promotes water policy, urged more immediate action. He said state and federal officials should also offer local agencies financial incentives to reduce reliance on groundwater.

Investments are also needed in storm water capture during wet winters to offset heavy reliance on groundwater, Snow said.

"As long as this continues, we risk further damage to roads, levees and buildings," he said. "There is no time to waste."

http://news.yahoo.com/report-groundw...182608459.html

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...g19-story.html

wow things are really getting apocalyptic in California and other parts of America. God's judgement is upon our nation.

W

And in the state North of them----lots of CA license plates this summer.

Massive Sinkhole That Swallowed Florida Man Reopens, Two Years Later


http://www.alipac.us/f19/massive-sinkhole-swallowed-florida-man-reopens-two-years-later-322328/

11/17/13

http://www.alipac.us/f19/la-more-tha...nkhole-292310/
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Louisiana 25-acre sinkhole brings mini-earthquakes, explosion fears

Now brown wants to make water tunnels?

Originally Posted by Newmexican

Now brown wants to make water tunnels?

There is extra water up north.
The people in the southern part of the state need the water.
The only way to get it to them is to put tunnels for it to go through.