Scientists have discovered a vast quantity of groundwater under California’s drought-stricken Central Valley.
This incredible discovery is tempered by the need to protect the water from contamination, especially by oil and gas extraction.
Stanford University scientists have found that California’s drought-stricken Central Valley has three times more groundwater than previously estimated.
However, safeguarding these deep aquifers from oil and gas activity will be challenging.
In this video, Professor Rob Jackson visits Kern County, an agricultural breadbasket of the U.S. and the heart of California’s fossil-fuel industry.
Jackson found a surprising amount of oil and gas activity occurring directly into local aquifers, raising concerns about chemical contamination of the newly discovered sources of freshwater for irrigation and drinking.
Well when you look at the bad effects of fracking on drinkwater you, understand his concerns.
Stanford scientists find ‘water windfall’ beneath California’s Central Valley
Expanding California’s Water Resources with Deep Groundwater
Salinity of deep groundwater in California: Water quantity, quality, and protection
