Pumping Groundwater Raises Sea Level

[Persia]

Groundwater mining — pumping aquifers faster than they can be replenished — can have nasty consequences.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/groundwaters-great-escape-to-the-sea-110923.html

[Ashotep]

I have to admit the pumping of water out of the Ogallala Aquifer does concern me since it will take thousands of years to replenish. Would it be possible for it to cave in at some point? Also if they stopped pumping water out of it would there be enough food to go around or would food get so expensive people would starve.

[me-wonders]

Groundwater mining — pumping aquifers faster than they can be replenished — can have nasty consequences.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/groundwaters-great-escape-to-the-sea-110923.html

I am glad you mentioned this. It drives me crazy to read the opinion that over population is not a major problem, because technology can resolve all our problems. Look at the mess Mexico is dealing with, because of depleting its underground water supply, and the city sinking...

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/04/08/20100408mexico-city-sinking-flooding-crisis.html

The Israel caused water crisis for Palestine is an explosive political problem that is under reported in our news. Israel justified itself as the US justified taking land from native Americans who were not developing the land, and therefore couldn't really claim it. But the develop Israel is putting in is not sustainable, and over population is destroying the environment. Gaza is a major aquifer, and area of conflict.

http://www.internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1211

Edited September 23, 2011 by me-wonders

[Doug1029]

I have to admit the pumping of water out of the Ogallala Aquifer does concern me since it will take thousands of years to replenish. Would it be possible for it to cave in at some point? Also if they stopped pumping water out of it would there be enough food to go around or would food get so expensive people would starve.

If you have ever been to Lyons, Colorado and seen Steamboat Mountain just west of it: that's Ogallalah sandstone, the upper outcrop of the Ogallalah aquifer. There's a cement plant east of town sitting right on top of one of the Ogallalah's main recharge sites.

No cave-ins, but some day they will have to stop pumping water out of it - the ground water level is dropping; when it reaches the bottom of the sandstone layer, that's it.

Eastern Colorado has a lot of dryland farming. Crops like wheat and sunflowers can be grown without irrigation. Also, there is still some land that is irrigated with water from the South Platte - Denver's sewage. Think about that next time you dig into a bowl of cornflakes.

People in the U.S. would not starve because we have a lot of other land that is farmable. But prices might go up and somewhere on earth there would be people who couldn't buy food as a result.

Doug

[Varelse]

If it caved in wouldn't it form a huge new lake where Oklahoma and most of Texas used to be?

And thats' bad thing?

[Doug1029]

If it caved in wouldn't it form a huge new lake where Oklahoma and most of Texas used to be?

And thats' bad thing?

If you live in Oklahoma. Doug