Climate change has focused concern on land and sky as rising temperatures intensify hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts. But underfoot and out of view, another crisis is brewing.
Many of the aquifers (underground rock formations that hold water) that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems are being severely depleted.
The New York Times conducted a months-long examination of groundwater depletion, interviewing more than 100 experts, traveling the country, and creating a comprehensive database using millions of readings from monitoring sites. The investigation reveals how groundwater is being exhausted in much of the country. Huge industrial farms and sprawling cities are draining aquifers that could take centuries or millennia to replenish themselves—if they recover at all.
Climate change has focused concern on land and sky. Rising temperatures intensify hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts. But underfoot and out of view, another crisis is brewing.
Underground rock formations that hold water are called aquifers. The aquifers that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems are being severely depleted.
The New York Times conducted a months-long examination of groundwater depletion. They interviewed more than 100 experts and traveled the country. They created a comprehensive database using millions of readings from monitoring sites. The investigation reveals how groundwater is being exhausted in much of the country. Huge industrial farms and sprawling cities are draining aquifers. It could take centuries or millennia for them to refill. They might not recover at all.