Several of my emails over the past four years have addressed land use and the effects of over pumping of the aquifer in the Central Valley of California on agriculture there and land elevation, as well.

The following link is from today’s NY Times regarding over pumping of aquifers throughout the US.

America is Draining its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

In the map below, copied from the article, it is apparent that one of the few states not dependent on aquifers for its agriculture is New York.

Based upon the maps below, Eastern agriculture is going to become more critical to the nation’s food supply as the Midwest and the West dry up.  If the Central Valley is any indicator, over pumping destroys the aquifers and makes it difficult to nearly impossible for them to recover during periods of heavy rainfall.

The situation is global and so much groundwater has been pumped that it has caused the Earth’s axis to shift.

Humans have pumped so much groundwater from the Earth that it’s actually caused the planet’s axis to shift, a new study found

This is something that must be considered with energy planning because areas with abundant water will be critical to humanity’s food supply.  Land use has to be allocated to its most efficient application.

Rich