Construction crews race to build replacement canal as Central Valley sinks

A megaproject is underway in the Central Valley to fix the sinking, crumbling Friant-Kern canal. Wilson Walker reports. (8-25-22)

[letsgoracing]

The biggest thing is that the settlement is going on from compaction due to removal of ground water. Once that pore space is collapsed the ability to "recharge" it is completely gone so the original storage capacity is permanently decreased as far as groundwater storage. The ground wont rise from recharge but it will keep sinking due to mismanagement.

[fitzymagee]

Its not caused by the drought, its caused by over use of ground water

[benkerby]

Tulare County was once home to the Tulare Lake, the 9th largest lake in the U.S. which was drained for farming back in the 50s this has caused an environmental and ecological impact. Since the lake was drained farmers have started using ground water which is causing the subsidence of up to 27ft in some areas.

[gregfawcett]

So this project will be good for 12 years...great for the construction companies.

[regular-joe]

You sure danced around it to avoid saying that draining the underground aquifers is what's causing the sinking. But hey, let's "fix" the canals and continue to suck the ground dry.

[jakeryan]

Maybe the Central Valley can’t sustain producing %85 of the world’s almonds while simultaneously restricting residents water and building new homes

[ag-omnr]

Who would have thought that draining aquifer's would have a future effect ?

[tjs]

Much of the San Joaquin Valley is sinking because the farmers are pumping all of the aquifers dry for flood irrigation. Why are they pumping them dry? Because all of the mountain source rivers that would replenish the groundwater are diverted into reservoirs that then push all of the water through those canals so people in the LA Basin and places like Palm Springs can live in deserts and have free flowing water.

[BlueJazzBoyNZ]

When you over pump an aquifer for many decades This is going to happen.
The Aquifer was used as an unlimited resource. Which it is not.
This is a very short term Band-Aid at best.

[nosoupforyou]

arid environments are perfect for massive farming operations.... could not be any better locations

[MRantzWI]

It's amazing how much we can trample our enviornment and out planet and we just shrug it off and put in a temporary "fix" the whole time ignoring the root cause of it. Great to see this massive project underway.... it'll be done just in time for the canal to go completely dry just like the reservoirs and hydropower damns are going dry right now. Brilliant ....just brilliant...

[marcbetancourt]

we need better infrastructure what a joke such a rich state

[rivernet]

And yet the farmers (self proclaimed environmental stewards) keep drilling more and deeper wells unchecked.

[charlessmith]

This close to the ocean and they don't have enough water? I thought I saw an unlimited supply in the background. What a dilemma.

[jimmiller]

Same thing is hitting the Ogallala Aquifer. In a decade they'll have almost entire states pumped dry.

[NoTimeLeft_]

Stop referring to it as a drought.
Calling it a drought implies it will pass soon.
This is the new climate. Understanding that will allow people to make meaningful changes sooner.

[thatsallfolks]

We literally have “THE OFFICE” running California, such a comedy of a job our Leaders of this State are doing…

[swizzarmygrizz]

This situation reminds me Sam Kinison’s classic bit about people living in the desert and how to help them. It was a desert when people moved there. They diverted water from thousands of miles away to feed water intensive crops like almonds and avocados. The Earth keeps dropping hints like hey this isn’t working, but humans being human will just keep slapping bandaids on top of bandaids until the day comes when no bandaid can save them. So as Sam said, here is how to help them. Send them a U Hqul truck and tell them to MOVE OUT OF THE DESERT. ITS A DESERT. IT WILL ALWAYS BE A DESERT. THATS WHY NOTHING GROWS. MOVE OUT OF THE DESERT! If people were meant to live in a desert then there would be water and food there and it wouldn’t be called a desert.

[aaronpincus]

It's NOT A DROUGHT ! ! !
We have been in the process of ARIDIFICATION for over a decade now.
"Aridification is the process of a region becoming increasingly arid, or dry. It refers to long term change, rather than seasonal variation. It is often measured as the reduction of average soil moisture content." Wikipedia

[andytang]

A chunk of the valley pumps the water out of underground aquifers, that's causes the land to sink, and especially during drought it gets worse, this project will help carry the water to where it's needed a project like any project takes years to plan and do. Just like the new hwy 132 connection 4-5 decades later it's getting finished, you don't just bulldoze and build, it takes time and planning especially for mega projects like these.