Solar-Powered Farming Is Quickly Depleting the World's Groundwater Supply

[Terry D]

https://link.wired.com/click/3462213...bb872C6d0770a6

[Superlyte27]

Just curious, but where do you think the water goes? This is a closed eco-system. The amount of water that is on the planet earth is the same amount of water that was on the planet earth a billion years ago, albeit maybe in gaseous or frozen form. But there is nowhere for the water to escape to. Granted, the water might not be in a particular region right now, but that's cyclical.

I remember when the water level at Lake Minneola was down 8'. People had boats that were sitting in the mud, hundreds of feet from where the waters edge was at. Dozens of people spent tens of thousands of dollars extending their docks to reach the water. Everyone was crying, "Oh my god, this is horrible, our property values are trashed, we're never going to recover, our beautiful lake is gone, blah blah blah" Within 5 years, the water level was back up higher than ever. And then the docks were shortened, lol.

I've been cave diving for almost 30 years now. How many times have we seen water levels incredibly low and heard so many people say it would never come back? Have you seen Little River lately? The water always comes back.

[Terry D]

It may be closed on a global scale but it certainly isn't on a local or regional scale. Excessive withdrawal will reduce the available levels and deplete access. Depending on the size and location of the recharge area, it may not be ever seen in the local level ever. Look at the potentionmetric maps of North Florida over the last five decades and you can see that the aquifer levels are not sufficient to maintain the current rate of withdrawal.

MIKE DROP

[mpoucher]

Maybe the level, but not the flow. I started diving in 1986 and I've seen a marked decrease in flow, water clarity and cobalticity over the years in all the springs. Silvers Springs has half the flow it had in the 1950's and nearly all of Florida's springs are seeing a decline in water flow.

[Kelly Jessop]

Maybe the level, but not the flow. I started diving in 1986 and I've seen a marked decrease in flow, water clarity and cobalticity over the years in all the springs. Silvers Springs has half the flow it had in the 1950's and nearly all of Florida's springs are seeing a decline in water flow.

Little River used to be air clear water with screaming flow all the time,same with Jackson Blue. Both those places have seriously degraded.