Majority of America's underground water stores are drying up, study finds

Re:Majority of America's underground water stores are drying... by jvanderbot on Wednesday January 24, 2024 @07:40PM (#39124707)

93 billion gallons of fresh water falls on Los Angeles every year. (12 inches / y over the whole surface area[1])

They have ~2 million households[2], and a household uses an average of 3,000 g/m or 36,000 g/y/h or about 80 billion gallons / y for all households.

Huge coincidence, that's pretty close to balanced out.

And yet, we shuffle the rainfall to the ocean and pray for snowpack in the mountains and protest Nestle and Almond farmers.

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Re:Majority of America's underground water stores are drying... by donkeysquid on Wednesday January 24, 2024 @07:55PM (#39124809)

Only a fraction of that can be captured

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Re:Majority of America's underground water stores are drying... by voisin on Wednesday January 24, 2024 @08:15PM (#39124964)

Why is that? If it is slowed down and sunk into the earth it would add to the aquifers, no?

Going off the great book “Rainwater Harvesting in Drylands & Beyond”

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Re:Majority of America's underground water stores are drying... by persolb on Wednesday January 24, 2024 @08:11PM (#39124927)

I’d agree for a lot of places heavy on greenery… but LA? The city itself seems to have a very small percentage of greenery.

I’m assuming the rest is mostly captured via sewers just to prevent flooding.

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Re:Majority of America's underground water stores are drying... by jvanderbot on Wednesday January 24, 2024 @09:47PM (#39125675)

This is true.

A better designed city could capture more.

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