SFR Depletion of Groundwater is more serious than we thought!

Sorta fishing-related
Flymph

Flymph

Life of the Party
www.popularmechanics.com

America's Aquifers Are Shrinking. Our Survival Is at Stake.

An eye-opening investigation reveals the devastation happening beneath our feet.
www.popularmechanics.com www.popularmechanics.com

Interesting read into a topic not on many people's radar. Serious depletion of groundwater has been going on for over 80 years without enough recharging of aquifers, Many problems arise including "cancer" issues! Mismanagement and Climate Change seem to be the leading culprits.
 
Frank Herbert may have been a prophet . . . . was Dune a vision of our future? If it is, I sure hope we can do it without those giant worms.
 
We're pumping it too fast, for sure, but we're also destroying the natural recharge systems. They make great parking lots.
 
Last edited:
Tinker said:
We're pumping it too fast, for sure, but we're also destroying the natural recharge systems. They make great parking lots.
Click to expand...
You make a great point when it comes to 'recharge"!

Groundwater is one of the world’s most important natural resources, but groundwater management has traditionally been governed by lax and uneven legal regimes which tend to focus on the extraction of groundwater or groundwater quality, rather than Groundwater Recharge.

Human activities like Agriculture, Development, Forrest Management, and Flood Control can decrease groundwater storage while Water Banking, Ag managed aquifer recharge, Stormwater capture, and Treated wastewater help to recharge.

Once again, it takes a dynamic switch in societal and political thought!!!
 
Last edited:
Tinker said:
We're pumping it too fast, for sure, but we're also destroying the natural recharge systems. They make great parking lots.
Click to expand...
That’s a good point; a lot of development (parking lots, buildings etc) basically funnels rainfall that would’ve landed on that area to the ocean instead of it being able to soak into the ground.
 
Merle said:
That’s a good point; a lot of development (parking lots, buildings etc) basically funnels rainfall that would’ve landed on that area to the ocean instead of it being able to soak into the ground.
Click to expand...
and those funnels capture all the industrial pollutants and carry them into creeks, river, lakes and the ocean, including 6 million tons of rubber and plastics from tire wear alone each year.
We've pretty much screwed the pooch...
 
Last edited:
SurfnFish said:
and those funnels capture all the industrial pollutants and carry them into creeks, river, lakes and the ocean, including 6 million tons of rubber and plastics from tire wear alone.
We've pretty much screwed the pooch...
Click to expand...
Don't forget we've engineered our creeks and rivers into nice straight deep ditches to efficiently drain the landscape (further reducing aquifer recharge).
 
As i worked on this stuff for years, the title of this post is wrong. Lots of us knew, and lots of us told ya. We told ya water was declining, we told ya that decline would destroy streamflow and increase stream temperatures. We told you pouring chemicals into your drinking water was a bad idea. My bosses told ya, and they’re bosses told ya. But the lure of cheap french fries and tomatoes in January is just too strong. Nobody wants to pay to handle chemicals properly, no irrigator is willing to stop irrigating an acre, everyone is baffled when the streams go dry. As for this article, folks will pay attention until Friday, and then move on.
 
mentioned before managed the build out of a 17 acre high tech campus in Mountain View, Ca, former site of a Siemans chip manufacturing operation, designated a Superfund site due to the groundwater being permeated with the solvent TCE (a known carcinogenic), the plume steadily being driven west year after year by SF Bay hydrostatic tidal pressure, TCE evaporating up through the soil of multi-million dollar homes.
Add in the over 100 trace chemicals that were identified during 24/7 site air testing, and there is little wonder that general cancer rates are elected to rise by over 30% by 2030..not to mention the astounding number of kids being diagnosed with autism, ADHD, auto-immune issues and childhood cancers.
During my decade in high tech, as soon as the commute took me back to the coast, I would have the car window open regardless of weather, deep breathing in and out like a demented yogi, trying to clear my lungs...
 
Last edited:
There's no quarterly returns for the shareholders in managing resources for the long term. Certainly no money in it for business to clean up a toxic site they created

...and so it goes...
 
Flymph said:
www.popularmechanics.com

America's Aquifers Are Shrinking. Our Survival Is at Stake.

An eye-opening investigation reveals the devastation happening beneath our feet.
www.popularmechanics.com www.popularmechanics.com

Interesting read into a topic not on many people's radar. Serious depletion of groundwater has been going on for over 80 years without enough recharging of aquifers, Many problems arise including "cancer" issues! Mismanagement and Climate Change seem to be the leading culprits.
Click to expand...
The rise and fall of many lost civilizations… 😉
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top