Irrigation districts provide water that’s key to agricultural prosperity in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, but some of those districts also have been cashing in on the region’s water resources. …
Concerns about falling groundwater levels persuaded Stanislaus County supervisors to outlaw groundwater mining last fall, but their ordinance exempted irrigation districts from the ban.
Numerous groundwater experts have warned San Joaquin Valley leaders about seriously falling water tables. The problem is worse in some regions – like eastern Stanislaus and much of Merced County – than in other places, like west of the San Joaquin River.
Article by: J.N. Sbranti
Published by: The Modesto Bee
Published: March 15 2014