A panel analysis of groundwater use in California

Groundwater is a relevant source of drinking and agricultural water in many regions the world, but aquifers have been unsustainably over-drafted polluted. This has significant environmental, health, economic implications. We rely on panel analysis, with small-sample corrections for cluster-robust variance estimation hypothesis testing, to investigate dynamics groundwater extraction. focus California, yet our approach could be helpful analyze extraction other groundwater-reliant world. In over-reliance led overdraft, affecting long-term supply reliability pumping costs. It further caused subsidence infrastructure damage, harmed groundwater-dependent ecosystems, threatened sustainability resources state. use data 56 California Water Plan planning areas over 1998–2015 period. concentrate urban major projects state, provide better understanding relationships between supply. Results suggest that reducing Central Southern reduce these by approximately same amount reduced water. Other opportunities stress state are available regions, lower benefits. also decrease deliveries from Valley Project southern part would increase proportion. Changes as well sources surface water, some, impacts California.