The Central Coast Water Authority works hard to ensure our customers have access to reliable and affordable water supplies. But delivering on this promise has become more difficult due to land subsidence, a phenomenon that is rapidly putting California’s water supplies at risk.

Subsidence refers to the gradual, often permanent, settling of land caused by natural processes and human activity, including groundwater pumping, where soils are comprised of soft silts and clays. When water is extracted from underground aquifers faster than it can be replenished, the surrounding soil may compact, causing the ground above it to compress and settle, which can damage roads, pipelines and water conveyance systems.

In California, subsidence damage has significantly reduced the capacity, reliability, energy efficiency and affordability of water delivered through our state’s main water infrastructure – the State Water Project and Central Valley Project. Together, these vast engineering feats provide clean drinking water to more than 30 million Californians and irrigate nearly 4 million acres of farmland.

And yet, California’s largest and most important canals and aqueducts have lost more than a third of their capacity due to subsidence, resulting in:

·        Up to a 60% loss in flow capacity

·        $15-$30 million in annual operational and power costs

·        Increased energy use and greenhouse gas emissions to pump water

·        More frequent water delivery outages

This problem will not solve itself. A large portion of California’s water delivery infrastructure was built over 60 years ago, continues to age rapidly and needs significant repair.

To continue providing clean, affordable drinking water, irrigate millions of acres of farmland, supply water to important natural habitats and ecosystems, and ensure the state’s future climate resilience, the Governor and the California Legislature must prioritize swift action and funding for subsidence repair.

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