Why America’s Groundwater Is Disappearing | WSJ

Unchecked groundwater use is draining aquifers across the U.S., threatening drinking water supplies and the nation’s status as a food superpower. For example, the Ogallala Aquifer beneath the Great Plains supports about 30% of all U.S. crop and animal production, but in 2022, parts of the water table reached their lowest levels since NASA started measuring two decades ago.

WSJ explains why this crisis is posing an “existential threat” to many communities and looks at how the critical natural resources could be saved.

Chapters:
0:00 Groundwater disappearing
0:33 Importance of groundwater in Kansas
2:48 How communities are adapting
4:11 Systemic issues leading to depletion
5:03 Depletion across the country
5:39 What’s next?

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#Groundwater #Food #WSJ

[Flipflop]

I’m confident that our great nation will recognize the urgency of the groundwater situation, and proceed to do nothing.

[jeriwhite]

We farm on the southern Texas Panhandle. Our part of the aquifer is basically pumped dry. It’s sad our entire economy is dependent on it.

[jefferyholcombe]

A lot of the problem is that that 50% of ground water is used in oil drilling and the rest is used to grow alfalfa that is shipped to Saudia Arabia to feed their horses. Then the rest is what the people get to use. Most of the problem is industry use that is being blamed on the dairy and food crop farmers!

[NickKing-ct]

Indoor vertical farming methods require 95% less water

[jkselama]

Yeah, something really needs to be done about farming overcapacity.

[Me]

Meanwhile, huge corporations, like Coke, use as much groundwater as they want for free.

[Someone-cdyi]

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.”

[ronkirk]

When groundwater aquifers are pumped down the water bearing strata can compress so that it loses its ability to hold water even if water use is reduced below the recharge rate. Once the aquifer is wrecked, it's wrecked for good. Most of this water is actually fossil water anyway that took thousands of years to accumulate and recharge rates are extremely slow. It doesn't make much sense to grow water intensive crops like cotton and alfalfa in the desert anyway and we sure shouldn't be exporting alfalfa to Saudia Arabia.

[jm]

When ground water is gone, its GONE! It takes lifetimes to replenish, especially if the aquifer subsides.

[briceking]

There are also foreign nations buying farm land, growing water intensive crops and shipping them overseas.

[carleewalsh]

Maybe we need to rethink growing corn to raise cows.

[russcrawford]

Invisible? ... folks must be blind ... the water crisis has been plain and obvious for decades ... we've moved to the city and forgot how food grows ...

[jaehoony]

So industry farming companies been abusing underground water in this country like it's unlimited resource, when in fact it is a very real limited resource. This can't continue.

[jess_o]

We MUST stop subsidizing unsustainable products! I am looking at you, Corn, Ethanol

[michaelbassett]

farming is not the problem, industry farming is

[Kelfuma]

The US government subsidizes a lot of these farmers and their agricultural products. Doesn’t that distort the market and encourage more inefficient water use?

[halo]

Nothing will be done until it is too late..

[floydblandston]

This land used to be farmed for winter wheat, which it produced well, profitably, and without irrigation. A false economy driven by free groundwater and cheap capital allowed them to develop it well beyond its true ecological niche. I call that bad management; if we have a capitalism that can make you rich, we need one that can bankrupt you as well. Price the groundwater as a limited public resource open to minimum bid and competitive pressure.

[jonallsop]

Michael Burry's (The Big Short) next investment was Water. Worth remembering

[Charlie-shdu]

Regenerative agriculture replenishes aquifers. People are practicing it across Africa to stop the Sahara desert from spreading into the Sahel.