<p>California's severe and persistent drought has caused many Central Valley growers to rely on groundwater to meet their irrigation needs. For well drillers and pump service technicians, <b>business is booming</b>.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The San Jose Mercury News has estimated that in just the first month and a half of this year, <b>nearly 500 new well permits</b> for large wells have been issued in the Central Valley, including Fresno, Tulare, Kern, Madera, and Stanislaus Counties.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img style="width:500px" class="small-cropped-image" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacySmallCroppedImages/graphnewwells.jpg" alt="Well Drilling Images" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">CNBC recently reported that Greg Wegis in Buttonwillow, CA spent <b>almost $1 million to drill three new wells.</b> Water from the first one was no good - it was too brackish. Steve Arthur from Arthur & Orum Well Drilling says that once the cost of pumps and installation is considered, <b>the cost of a larger well is actually closer to $1 million.</b> There are also long wait times for servicing existing pumps, and even drilling companies from outside California have come to the state to get in on the action.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">According to a survey by the Fresno County Department of Environmental Health, demand for drilling wells is so high that currently <b>the average wait time for a new well is 10-12 months.</b></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><object id="cnbcplayer" height="380" width="400" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" > <param name="type" value="application/x-shockwave-flash" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="quality" value="best" /> <param name="scale" value="noscale" /> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /> <param name="salign" value="lt" /> <param name="flashVars" value="startTime=000" /> <param name="flashVars" value="endTime=000" /> <param name="movie" value="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/3000260025/code/cnbcplayershare" /> <embed name="cnbcplayer" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#000000" height="380" width="400" quality="best" wmode="transparent" scale="noscale" salign="lt" src="http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/3000260025/code/cnbcplayershare" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></embed></object><p>California is one of the only states that does not regulate how much groundwater can be pumped from wells. Some people are concerned that the pumping has become excessive.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img style="width:250px" class="small-cropped-image" src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacySmallCroppedImages/subsidencesucks.jpg" alt="Well Drilling Images" />"It's our savings account, and we're draining it," said Phil Isenberg of the Public Policy Institute of California, a former Sacramento Mayor and Assemblyman.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The San Jose Mercury News has reported that the Central Valley is consuming twice as much as the natural recharge rate. This disparity is resulting in subsidence: <b>the ground is sinking.</b></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><div>This photograph documents the subsidence of San Joaquin Valley land from 1925-1977.</div><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Decades ago, subsidence due to excessive pumping actually caused much of the ground in the San Joaquin Valley to sink - in one area as much as 28 feet. Now, new areas are subsiding, some at a rate close to 1 foot per year, causing damage to bridges and vital canals.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">As AndNowUKnow has previously reported, even with all of this pumping, <b>at least 10% of California's Central Valley farmland is expected to lie fallow</b> due to a lack of available irrigation water.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">For what it's worth it's raining here in northern California. Unfortunately, most believe that the recent rain and snow in the state will not be enough to make sufficient surface water available to farmers.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue our coverage of this important issue.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
