Aquifiers
Water gets trapped in the crust of the earth in formations that can cover several U.S. states. These underground seas of water are called aquifers. These underground sources of water, while seemingly vast, constitute a small amount of the mass of the earth. HydroFathom teaches that if the Earth was an orange, all the aquifers would be in the peel, right at the surface. Nevertheless, humans have tapped these sources as never before in the last 150 years, using energy and modern pumps which appeared in the 1830s.
Wells
The Central Valley of California is littered with wells. that power industrial farming and livestock operations. Overall, there may be up to two million wells in California, most pulling up groundwater faster than it can be replenished. HydroFathom will be examining the affect of these wells and a new state policy that mandates groundwater sustainability policies that have already begun to spark conflict.
Irrigation
A large portion of the groundwater in California goes to irrigate crops. However, this irrigation supplies needed foodstuffs. Californians also excel at a urban irrigation of a wide variety of non-essential non-native plants, flowers and grasses.
Read about over-pumping: