Rapid Communication/
Long-Term Groundwater Depletion in the United States
by
Leonard F. Konikow,
Leonard F. Konikow
- [email protected]
- 703-648-5878 | Fax: 703-648-5274
431 National Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192
Search for more papers by this authorby
Leonard F. Konikow,
Leonard F. Konikow
- [email protected]
- 703-648-5878 | Fax: 703-648-5274
431 National Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192
Search for more papers by this authorThere are no conflicts of interest and no financial disclosures.
Abstract
The volume of groundwater stored in the subsurface in the United States decreased by almost 1000 km3 during 1900–2008. The aquifer systems with the three largest volumes of storage depletion include the High Plains aquifer, the Mississippi Embayment section of the Gulf Coastal Plain aquifer system, and the Central Valley of California. Depletion rates accelerated during 1945–1960, averaging 13.6 km3/year during the last half of the century, and after 2000 increased again to about 24 km3/year. Depletion intensity is a new parameter, introduced here, to provide a more consistent basis for comparing storage depletion problems among various aquifers by factoring in time and areal extent of the aquifer. During 2001–2008, the Central Valley of California had the largest depletion intensity. Groundwater depletion in the United States can explain 1.4% of observed sea-level rise during the 108-year study period and 2.1% during 2001–2008. Groundwater depletion must be confronted on local and regional scales to help reduce demand (primarily in irrigated agriculture) and/or increase supply.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| gwat12306-sup-0001-TableS1.pdfPDF document, 194.4 KB | Table S1. Groundwater storage depletion in aquifer systems, subareas, or by land-use category, United States (1900–2008). |
| gwat12306-sup-0002-FigureS1.pdfPDF document, 454 KB | Figure S1. Map of the United States (excluding Alaska) showing cumulative groundwater depletion, 1900–2008, in 40 assessed aquifer systems or subareas. |
| gwat12306-sup-0003-FigureS2.pdfPDF document, 222.5 KB | Figure S2. Annual cumulative groundwater depletion in the United States, 1900–2008. |
| gwat12306-sup-0004-FigureS3.pdfPDF document, 202.6 KB | Figure S3. Change in the average groundwater depletion rates from 1961–1980 to 2001–2008 in 40 assessed aquifer systems or subareas in the conterminous 48 states. |
| gwat12306-sup-0005-FigureS4.pdfPDF document, 221.5 KB | Figure S4. Five-year averaged rate of groundwater depletion in the U.S., 1900–2008. |
| gwat12306-sup-0006-FigureS5.pdfPDF document, 281.5 KB | Figure S5. Change in groundwater depletion intensity from 1900–2000 to 2001–2008 in 40 assessed aquifer systems or subareas in the conterminous 48 states. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
References
- Alley, W.M., T.E. Reilly, and O.L. Franke. 1999. Sustainability of Groundwater Resources. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1186.
- Alley, W.M., R.W. Healy, J.W. LaBaugh, and T.E. Reilly. 2002. Flow and storage in groundwater systems. Science 296: 1985–1990. DOI:10.1126/science.1067123.
- Bartolino, J.R., and W.L. Cunningham. 2003. Ground-water Depletion across the Nation. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 103–03.
- Bindoff, N.L., J. Willebrand, V. Artale, A. Cazenave, J.M. Gregory, S. Gulev, K. Hanawa, C. Le Quéré, S. Levitus, Y. Nojiri, C.K. Shum, L.D. Talley, and A.S. Unnikrishnan. 2007. In Observations–Oceanic climate change and sea level. Climate Change 2007—The Physical Science Basis; Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, ed. S. Solomon, D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor, and H.L. Miller, 385–432. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
- Braga, B., C. Chartres, W.J. Cosgrove, L.V. da Cunha, P.H. Gleick, P. Kabat, M.A. Kadi, D.P. Loucks, J. Lundqvist, S. Narain, and J. Xia. 2014. Water and the Future of Humanity: Revisiting Water Security. Lisbon: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; New York: Springer International.
- Bredehoeft, J.D., and T.J. Durbin. 2009. Ground water development—The time to full capture problem. Ground Water 47, no. 4: 506–514. DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2008.00538.x.
- Castle, S.L., B.F. Thomas, J.T. Reager, M. Rodell, S.C. Swenson, and J.S. Famiglietti. 2014. Groundwater depletion during drought threatens future water security of the Colorado River Basin. Geophysical Research Letters 41: 5904–5911. DOI:10.1002/2014GL061055.
- Church, J.A., and N.J. White. 2006. A 20th century acceleration in global sea-level rise. Geophysical Research Letters 33: L01602. DOI:10.1029/2005GL024826.
- Custodio, E. 2005. Intensive use of ground water and sustainability. Ground Water 43, no. 3: 291.
- Famiglietti, J.S., M. Lo, S.L. Ho, J. Bethune, K.J. Anderson, T.H. Syed, S.C. Swenson, C.R. de Linage, and M. Rodell. 2011. Satellites measure recent rates of groundwater depletion in California's Central Valley. Geophysical Research Letters 38: L03403. DOI:10.1029/2010GL046442.
- D.L. Galloway, D.R. Jones, and S.E. Ingebritsen (Eds). 1999. Land Subsidence in the United States. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1182.
10.3133/cir1182 Google Scholar
- Gleeson, T., J. VanderSteen, M.A. Sophocleus, M. Taniguchi, W.M. Alley, D. Allen, and Y. Zhou. 2010. Groundwater sustainability strategies. Nature Geoscience 3: 378–379.
- Gleeson, T., Y. Wada, M.F.P. Bierkens, and L.P.H. van Beek. 2012. Water balance of global aquifers revealed by groundwater footprint. Nature 488: 197–200. DOI:10.1038/nature11295.
- Harrington, L., J. Harrington Jr., and N. Kettle. 2007. Groundwater depletion and agricultural land use change in the High Plains: A case study from Wichita County, Kansas. The Professional Geographer 59, no. 2: 221–235. DOI:10.1111/j.1467-9272.2007.00609.x.
- Hutson, S.S., N.L. Barber, J.F. Kenny, K.S. Linsey, D.S. Lumia, and M.A. Maupin. 2004. Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1268.
10.3133/cir1268 Google Scholar
- Kenny, J.F., N.L. Barber, S.S. Hutson, K.S. Linsey, J.K. Lovelace, and M.A. Maupin. 2009. Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1344.
10.3133/cir1344 Google Scholar
- Konikow, L.F. 2011. Contribution of global groundwater depletion since 1900 to sea-level rise. Geophysical Research Letters 38: L17401. DOI:10.1029/2011GL048604.
- Konikow, L.F. 2013. Groundwater Depletion in the United States (1900–2008). Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5079.
10.3133/sir20135079 Google Scholar
- Konikow, L.F., and E. Kendy. 2005. Groundwater depletion—A global problem. Hydrogeology Journal 13, no. 1: 317–320. DOI:10.1007/s10040-004-0411-8.
- Konikow, L.F., and S.A. Leake. 2014. Depletion and capture: revisiting “the source of water derived from wells.” Ground Water 52, no. S1: 100–111. DOI:10.1111/gwat.12204.
- Llamas, M.R., and P. Martinez-Santos. 2005. The silent revolution of intensive ground water use: Pros and cons. Ground Water 43, no. 2: 161.
- Reilly, T.E., K.F. Dennehy, W.M. Alley, and W.L. Cunningham. 2008. Ground-water Availability in the United States. Reston, Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1323.
10.3133/cir1323 Google Scholar
- Scanlon, B.R., C.C. Faunt, L. Longuevergne, R.C. Reedy, W.M. Alley, V.L. McGuire, and P.B. McMahon. 2012. Groundwater depletion and sustainability of irrigation in the US High Plains and Central Valley. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109, no. 24: 9320–9325. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1200311109.
- Schwartz, F.W., and M. Ibaraki. 2011. Groundwater—A resource in decline. Elements 7: 175–179. DOI:10.2113/gselements.7.3.175.
- Steward, D.R., P.J. Bruss, X. Yang, S.A. Staggenborg, S.M. Welch, and M.D. Apley. 2013. Tapping unsustainable groundwater stores for agricultural production in the High Plains Aquifer of Kansas, projections to 2110. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110, no. 37: E3477–E3486. DOI:10.1073/pnas.1220351110.
- Theis, C.V. 1940. The source of water derived from wells—Essential factors controlling the response of an aquifer to development. Civil Engineering 10: 277–280.
- Tiwari, V.M., J. Wahr, and S. Swenson. 2009. Dwindling groundwater resources in northern India, from satellite gravity observations. Geophysical Research Letters 36: L18401. DOI:10.1029/2009GL039401.
- Van der Gun, J., and A. Lipponen. 2010. Reconciling groundwater storage depletion due to pumping with sustainability. Sustainability 2: 3418–3435. DOI:10.3390/su2113418.
10.3390/su2113418 Google Scholar
- Wada, Y., L.P.H. van Beek, C.M. van Kempen, J.W.T.M. Reckman, S. Vasak, and M.F.P. Bierkens. 2010. Global depletion of groundwater resources. Geophysical Research Letters 37: L20402. DOI:10.1029/2010GL044571.
- Walton, W.C. 2011. Aquifer system response time and groundwater supply management. Ground Water 49, no. 2: 126–127. DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6584.2010.00770.x.
