Research indicates 60-year decline in groundwater levels across US
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Academic
The Columbia Water Center, part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, announced today the release of a new white paper, "Assessment of Groundwater Level Trends across the United States," that analyzes long-term groundwater trends across the United States. The study found that historic groundwater levels have declined across much of the country over the last 60 years, suggesting that current groundwater management is broadly unsustainable. The paper was released as part of the Water Center's new "America's Water Initiative."
According to Tess Russo, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author, her research took a different approach from most previous national studies ofgroundwaterby using historic well records rather than computer models to assess long-term trends ofgroundwater depletion. "Many of the other broad assessments of groundwater depletion or changes in groundwater levels across the country have been based on modeling studies," says Russo. "Those studies tend to aggregate model results of individual aquifer systems, or use a combination of field observations and recharge estimates."
In addition to being a broad wake-up call for the entire nation to reassess its approach to groundwater use, according to Russo, the study could be used to inform future, smaller scale studies that target hot spots to better understand the dynamics of extraction and recharge so as to managewateruse more sustainably. The study found that in addition to well-known areas in Central California and the Great Plains that suffer from severe groundwater depletion, numerous wells had seen long-term water level declines in the Lower Mississippi, the Atlantic Coast and the southeastern part of the country.
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Taxonomy
- Groundwater Recharge
- Groundwater Assessment