An investigation by the New York Times titled ‘‘America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow reported’’ written by Rojanasakul, Flavelle, Migliozzi, and Murray (August 28, 2023), brought a big problem to the public eye, finding that America is depleting groundwater faster than it can replenish its aquifers; thereby, causing groundwater levels to become dangerously low.
With people abusing this resource, and with no hesitation, it is clear that drinkable water is something that will soon be hard to access, and already an issue. Over the past 40 years, there has been an exponential increase in water extracted from the ground than what can be replenished, and this last year was the worst yet with groundwater levels hitting a record low. Many of the aquifers are being completely drained, making this issue a threat to all of America’s farmland. Not only farmlands are in jeopardy, all life will suffer from the lack of freshwater. This is a humanity problem because we are not making the decisions needed to stop the problem.
Rojanasakul et al. (2023) also shared, “Huge industrial farms and sprawling cities are draining aquifers that could take centuries or millennia to replenish themselves if they recover at all.”
The drought is causing major issues in states with vast farmlands such as Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. With these states in jeopardy, our food supply is another major concern. The farming industry is one of the most important aspects in our society, and if we are willingly depleting our resources that we contribute to our own downfall.
“What we are doing in a large part of the United States is mining groundwater. Mining is the extraction of a resource that is irreplaceable or nonrenewable. The way that we are pumping groundwater, we are treating it as if it were a mineral like gold or lithium, because it is not easily replaced. By contrast, a more responsible way forward is to use our groundwater resources in a sustainable manner. That is, we need to use only as much groundwater as can be replaced within a reasonable amount of time by natural processes. Until we learn as a society to use our ground water as a sustainable resource, we will continue to deplete this valuable asset-” Professor of the Practice at Rice University, Phillip de Blanc, PhD said.
Farming isn’t the only endangered resource brought on by the drought. The drought is also causing issues with obtaining drinkable water into major cities that are greatly depleted. Places like Phoenix and New York are struggling to make new homes in their cities because of water shortages needed to supply the homes. In areas like Utah, California and Texas, too much water is being pulled from the ground causing issues like road buckling and foundation cracking. Rojanasakul et al. (2023) said “…Some areas have even set official timelines for how quickly they plan to use up groundwater over the next few decades.”
Rojanasakul et al. (2023) also reported, “One of the biggest obstacles is that the depletion of these unseen yet essential natural resources is barely regulated. The federal government plays almost no role in regulating groundwater, and individual states have implemented a dizzying array of weak rules.”
Not only is water an issue, but wildfires are on the rise in Texas due to the overwhelming heat and no rain. More on that in an upcoming story.
Jasmine Leavens • Sep 22, 2023 at 11:39 am
Not enough people are fighting for the issues that matter. If people worried less about their favorite celebrity’s personal life and more about the earth we would see big changes.