Central Valley sinks as parched farms wring water from aquifers

A large swath of Central Valley is sinking as farms pump groundwater in the face of searing drought, sparking a scramble for solutions as forecasts show no end to dry conditions.

“If you’re managing groundwater at the regional level, you don’t need the state to do it,” said Marcus of the water board. But “it’s sort of been an underground, ‘You can’t see it’ issue. We’re going to have to figure out collectively how to better manage water both above and below ground in the face of climate change and population growth. We’re going to have to be better at all of it — more efficient and just more real about using it more than once.”