User:Miccimeek/Overdrafting

Environmental impacts [edit]
'''Groundwater extraction for use in water supplies lowers the overall water table, the level that groundwater sits at in an area, of surrounding rivers or lakes. The lowering water table diminishes streamflow in an area.  In Karst systems, large-scale groundwater withdrawal can lead to sinkholes or''' groundwater-related subsidence. '''The overdrafting leads to the pressure in limestone containments to become unstable and sediments move around and collapse. This can create a sinkhole that can damage large areas in a short amount of time.  Overdrafting along coastal cities and regions can lead to the reduction of water pressure in an aquifer, which can open up the possibility of saltwater intrusion. If saltwater contaminates a freshwater aquifer, that aquifer can no longer be used as a reliable source of freshwater for settlements and cities. There are methods to re-purify the aquifer such as artificial recharge, which is slowly adding in freshwater to an aquifer to remove the saltwater. However, this method can be economically inefficient and unavailable due to the high cost of the process.'''

'''Overdrafting of groundwater also affects the living organisms that inhabit the surrounding areas of an aquifer. When aquifers or groundwater wells are overdrafted there is a high possibility for chemical levels in the water to change. Chemicals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, and sulfate can be found in groundwater sources. If these sources are overdrafted the chemicals in the water can become unbalanced and possibly unsafe for human consumption; rendering the groundwater sources unusable as a source of drinking water.  Groundwater overdrafting can impact the water table of a lake or river, but it can also affect groundwater aquifers as well. Lowering the water table of groundwater aquifers affects the people drinking out of it but it also affects the organisms living in it. The classification of species known as stygobionts, creatures whose habitat is entirely in underground aquifers, is largely affected by the lowering of the water table due to overdrafting. There is not much known about most stygobionts as they are difficult to research due to their special living conditions. Overdrafting contributes to loss of habitat for the creatures, which reduces biodiversity in certain areas. '''

Socio-economic effects[edit]
'''Overdrafting has socio-economic impacts due to cost inequities that increase as the water table drops. As the water table drops, deeper wells are required to reach water in the aquifer. This not only requires deepening of already existing wells, but also digging new wells . Both processes require expensive technology. Research from Punjab found that the high cost of technology to continue water access hurts small landholders more than it does large landholders because large landholders have more resources “to invest in technology” . Therefore, small landholders, who traditionally have a lower income than large landholders, are unable to benefit from the technology that allows greater water access . This creates a cycle of inequity as small landholders that are dependent on agriculture have less water to irrigate their land, producing a lower output of crops.'''

'''Additionally, overdrafting has socio-economic impacts due to prior appropriation laws. Prior appropriation rights declare that the first person to use water from a water source will maintain the right to water. These rights result in socio-economic inequities as businesses and/or larger landholders who have a higher income can maintain their water rights. Meanwhile, new businesses or smaller landholders have less access to water, resulting in less ability to profit . Due to this inequity, small farmers in Punjab with less water rights tend to grow maize or less productive rice; meanwhile, larger landholders in Punjab can use more land for rice because they have access to water .'''

Possible solutions[edit]
Artificial Recharge:

Since recharge is the natural replenishment of water, artificial recharge is the man-made replenishment of groundwater, though there is only a limited amount of suitable water available for replenishing.

Water Conservation Techniques:

In areas where recharge alone will not work, '''possible solutions to overdrafting include implementing conservation techniques to decrease overdrafting. Possible techniques to conserve water include improving governance to ensure proper water management, incentivizing water conservation, improving agriculture techniques to ensure water use is efficient, changing diets to crops that require less water, and investing in infrastructure that uses water sustainably . The state of California has implemented some water conservation techniques due to droughts in the state. Some of their techniques include prohibiting outdoor watering that runs onto sidewalks or is directly on hard surfaces that don’t absorb water, washing vehicles with a hose that does not have a shutoff handle, watering up to 48 hours after a quarter inch of rain, and watering commercial/industrial decorative grass .'''

Water Conservation Incentivization:

'''Techniques used by California in emergency situations are useful; however, incentive to follow through on these is important. The city of Spokane has a program to incentivize sustainable landscapes called SpokaneScape. This program incentivizes water efficient landscapes by offering homeowners up to $500 in credit on their utility bill if they adapt their yards to water efficient plants.'''