Critical Groundwater Supplies May Never Recover from Drought, Says UC Study

Along with hurricanes and wildfires, there's another important, but seldom-discussed effect of climate change — toxic water and sinking land made worse by groundwater drought. Water from snow and rain seeps deep into the ground between layers of soil and accumulates in aquifers. Farmers rely heavily on this groundwater to irrigate their crops when they can’t get enough water from surface water sources. Roughly 85 percent of Californians also rely on groundwater for some portion of their water supply. Worldwide, an estimated two billion people depend on it. However, excessive groundwater use combined with droughts has caused land surface to sink, damaging critical infrastructure