Californians drill deeper as they face worst drought in 40 years

California’s worst drought in four decades, now in its third year, has left those who can afford it in America’s most populous state and the world’s eighth-largest economy seeking to drill deeper as groundwater drawn by desperate farmers dries up shallow household wells.

The cost of the Golden State’s drought is mounting with the economic loss to California estimated to be running well in excess of $2 billion (€1.5 billion) putting more than 17,000 seasonal and part-time employees out of work in an area that produces half the fruit, nuts and vegetables grown in the United States.

Startling photographs of once-full reservoirs and lakes several years ago now drained of water have circulated online over these hot summer months. They show the devastating effect of the loss of an estimated 63 trillion gallons in the western US in a drought that stretches as far east as Kansas.

Researchers at the University of California in San Diego and the US Geological Survey have said the loss of such a volume of water – enough to cover the United States west of the Rockies – in the past 18 months has raised the earth’s crust by an average of about one-sixth of an inch.

In more extreme cases, in the mountainous regions of California, land without the weight of large volumes of water has risen by up to about half an inch, the scientists found using GPS technology.

‘Exceptional’ drought

More than 58 per cent of California is still categorised as being under “exceptional” drought, according to the US Drought Monitor, while almost all the state is experiencing some kind of drought, despite rainfall in recent weeks.

Parts of the state have introduced water conservation measures with the state’s biggest city, Los Angeles, introducing more waste-water patrols by inspectors and issuing restrictions that stop residents watering their gardens more than three times a week and at weekends.

San Jose, the state’s third largest city, this week officially declared a water shortage and asked its one million residents to reduce water use by 20 per cent but has yet to introduce penalties to enforce the measure.

The water shortage has led some on social media to admonish Californians for participating in the ice bucket challenge and pouring water over themselves for charity when farmers are enduring severe drought.

Wealthier Californians have resorted to transporting water to their homes in tankers.