Parts Of San Joaquin Valley Sinking 1 Foot/Year As Pumping Moves Ever Faster
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Water levels in underground aquifers near the small farm town of Stratford have dropped an average of eighty feet in three years, according to California's Department of Water Resources.
Strain on groundwater resources can cause land above aquifers to drop. Some parts of the San Joaquin Valley are sinking as fast as a foot as year. It's not happening as quickly in Stratford but the town is sinking in more ways than one. "The local hardware store, the auto parts store, the tractor dealership: everybody counts on [farmers] to keep rolling and that's not happening right now," Azevedo said. "When we have a third of our ranch is idle, that's a third less we're spending in the community, and so it affects everybody."
Along the main drag in Stratford, many buildings are boarded up. The gas station is gone and so are the restaurants, although you can find a fresh cup of coffee at the auto parts store where Wesley Rodrigues works. "I wish it was better," he said, "like it used to be. But things happen, I guess."
At the grocery store across the street, Mahmod Almihiri watches business dry up. "No water, no workers," he said.
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http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/california-drought/california-towns-shrink-amid-drought-more-ways-one-n343881