Valley Land Has Sunk From Too Much Water Pumping. Can Fresno County Fix It?
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors adopted a plan on Tuesday meant to maintain groundwater and keep users from pumping too much from underground basins.
The supervisors adopted plans for two areas connected to the Delta-Mendota subbasin. Officials throughout the San Joaquin Valley have been required by the state to adopt a plan by the end of the month.
State regulators stepped in during 2014 after a U.S. Geological Survey in the previous year showed so much water was being pumped out of the ground in the Valley that the land was sagging. The process – called subsidence – could damage roads, dams, railroads, pipes and bridges.
