Groundwater

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"There are many reasons why groundwater is essential to health and the well-being of humanity and the environment. When people talk about climate change and impacts to water resources, they tend to focus on things like drought, flooding, drying up surface water bodies and melting glaciers. However, the potential for groundwater to be threatened or be a conduit for climate change impacts is also a concern.

An obvious concern is depletion of groundwater as it becomes an increasingly important water source. As precipitation becomes less reliable due to climate change, surface water bodies can drop too low to provide needed water, causing people to turn to groundwater sources. Over-pumping and depletion of groundwater is already a significant problem in many places across the Eastern Region. Over-pumping will increase as climate change makes traditional sources of water less reliable. Less obvious are ways in which groundwater may be a conduit of climate change impacts. For example, recent research based on modeling found the eastern United States is particularly vulnerable to increasing evapotranspiration, which decreases shallow water tables.

Evapotranspiration is a combination of evaporation and transpiration, which refers to the water that plants release to the air. While a permanent water table decrease of one to three feet may not mean anything for a water supply well, it can have severe consequences for surface water bodies and ecosystems dependent on that shallow water table.

Other research has shown that groundwater could lead to warmer surface water bodies, such as streams. Many cold-water streams in the region depend on groundwater to maintain their cold-water conditions, which are required by many organisms. This water originates as precipitation that infiltrates into the ground as recharge and eventually becomes groundwater discharge (baseflow) to water bodies. The research has found that warmer precipitation and recharge will eventually reach streams and rivers as warmer baseflow. This may take a few decades, which can make planning for these streams even more challenging."

Five takeaways from a 2023 New York Times investigation -

Aquifer water levels are falling nationwide. The danger is worse and more widespread than many people realize.
We know this because we built a database of more than 80,000 wells nationwide.
Overpumping is a threat to America’s status as a food superpower.
It’s not just a problem in the West or for farmers. It’s a tap water crisis, too.
Weak regulations allowed the overuse. Now, climate change is leading to even more pumping.

Read The New York Times article here.

CREDIT: USGS

All the text and the graphic is from the USDA Forest Service.

CREDIT: NOAA Tides & Currents

CURRENT NEWS

Sep 18 2026

Inside Climate News

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The California valley with the most dairy farms in the state will follow stricter water pollution requirements following years of advocacy and a marathon six-hour meeting this week.

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edf

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Aug 12 2026

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Jul 31 2026

Los Angeles Times

California’s push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust

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Apr 09 2026

Los Angeles Times

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Mar 19 2026

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High resolution US water table depth estimates reveal quantity of accessible groundwater

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The New York Times

America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

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Unchecked overuse is draining and damaging aquifers nationwide, a data investigation by the New York Times revealed, threatening millions of people and America’s status as a food superpower.

The New York Times

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The New York Times

A Tangle of Rules to Protect America’s Water Is Falling Short

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MORE NEWS

Los Angeles Times

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The Washington Post

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The New York Times

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Houston is sinking faster than any other big city in the nation, new study finds

By Rebekah F. Ward 05/08/25

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Los Angeles Times

Landmark government report calls for national mobilization to curb groundwater depletion

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Even as groundwater levels have rapidly declined in farming regions from California’s Central Valley to the High Plains, the federal government has mostly taken a hands-off approach to the chronic depletion of the nation’s aquifers.…

Los Angeles Times

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The Washington Post

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The Washington Post

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By Brady Dennis and Others 05/22/24

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The Guardian

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This mega-city is running out of water. What will 22 million people do when the taps run dry?

By Patrick J. MCDonnell 03/21/24

When Reina Cervantes Trejo heard the truck, gears grinding as it climbed the street to her house, she rushed outside. “Thanks to our good Lord!” she said. “The water has finally arrived!” Cervantes and her…

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By Mira Rojanasakul 03/06/24

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The New York Times

Court Rulings Give States New Power to Protect Groundwater

By Christopher Flavelle 02/29/24

After years of dangerous decline in the nation’s groundwater, a series of developments in Western states indicate that state and federal officials may begin tightening protections for the dwindling resource.

The New York Times

Montana Court Restricts Use of Groundwater for New Homes

By Christopher Flavelle 02/16/24

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The New York Times

The East Coast Is Sinking

By Mira Rojanasakul and Marco Hernandez 02/13/24

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The New York Times

In a Victory for Poland Spring, Maine Rejects New Groundwater Limits

By Hiroko Tabuchi 02/09/24

Maine’s Legislature voted down a bill that would have limited large-scale pumping of groundwater in the state. Poland Spring, the bottled-water giant, had lobbied aggressively against the measure.

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Environmentalists See Nevada Supreme Court Ruling Bringing State’s Water Management ‘Into the 21st Century’

By Wyatt Myskow 01/31/24

The Nevada Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week that the state can restrict new groundwater pumping if it will impact other users and wildlife, a decision that strikes a blow to the plan of a…

Los Angeles Times

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By Ian James 01/25/24

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Inside Climate News

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By Liza Gross 01/24/24

Groundwater supplies are dwindling in aquifers around the world, a groundbreaking new study found, with the rates of decline accelerating over the past four decades in nearly a third of aquifers studied.

The New York Times

Strawberry Case Study: What If Farmers Had to Pay for Water?

By Coral Davenport 12/29/23

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The New York Times

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The New York Times

As Groundwater Dwindles, Powerful Players Block Change

By Christopher Flavelle 11/24/23

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The New York Times

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The New York Times

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mpr News

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During the record-breaking drought of 2021, wells around the state went dry as farms drew six billion gallons more than their pumping permits allowed. One of the main culprits? The potato industry, which has an…

The New York Times

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By David Gelles 09/05/23

Jack Ethredge could see the future. It was 1985, and Mr. Ethredge, then the city manager of Thornton, Colo., understood that sooner or later, the Denver suburb would need more water.

The New York Times

Big Farms and Flawless Fries Are Gulping Water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

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THE DROUGHT THAT GRIPPED MINNESOTA in the summer of 2021 was one of the worst on record. Day after day a blazing sun shriveled leaves, dried up waterfalls and turned ponds to puddles.

The New York Times

Five Takeaways From Our Investigation Into America’s Groundwater Crisis

By Christopher Flavelle and Mira Rojanasakul 08/29/23

A New York Times investigation has found that America is depleting its invaluable reserves of groundwater at a dangerous rate. The practice of overpumping water from vast aquifers is already having consequences nationwide. The majority…

The New York Times

America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

By Mira Rojanasakul, Christopher Flavelle and Others 08/28/23

Global warming has focused concern on land and sky as soaring temperatures intensify hurricanes, droughts and wildfires. But another climate crisis is unfolding, underfoot and out of view. Many of the aquifers that supply 90…

AGU

Drift of Earth’s Pole Confirms Groundwater Depletion as a Significant Contributor to Global Sea Level Rise 1993–2010

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Climate model estimates show significant groundwater depletion during the 20th century, consistent with global mean sea level (GMSL) budget analysis. However, prior to the Argo float era, in the early 2000’s, there is little information…

The New York Times

Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles

By Christopher Flavelle and Jack Healy 06/01/23

Arizona has determined that there is not enough groundwater for all of the housing construction that has already been approved in the Phoenix area, and will stop developers from building some new subdivisions, a sign…

NGWA

National Groundwater Awareness Week

03/11/23

An annual observance established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater, the event is also a platform to encourage yearly water well testing and well maintenance, and the promotion of…

The New York Times

There’s Something in the Water in Virginia. Before You Say ‘Yuck,’ Wait.

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Stanford News

Groundwater depletion causes California farmland to sink. Stanford study shows water levels must rise to halt subsidence.

By Josie Garthwaite 06/02/22

The floor of California’s arid Central Valley is sinking as groundwater pumping for agriculture and drinking water depletes aquifers. A new remote sensing study from Stanford University shows land sinking – or subsidence – will…

USDA

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03/08/22

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MIT Technology Review

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Wired

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Carbon Brief

Climate change’s impact on groundwater could leave ‘environmental timebomb’

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GROUNDWATER

GROUNDWATER

Five takeaways from a 2023 New York Times investigation -

CURRENT NEWS

KEY RESOURCES

MORE NEWS