The state's groundwater accounts are now seriously overdrawn. On the edges of the Central Valley, where aquifers are relatively shallow, municipal wells are running dry, forcing small towns to import water at excruciatingly high prices. Chronic overpumping has led to widespread land subsidence in the valley, with some places sinking more than 30 feet in recent decades. Many groundwater-fed surface streams have been depleted, threatening the species that depend on them.
But in most cases California landowners can still drill water wells as often and as deeply as they can afford, without permission from government agencies or neighbors. With few exceptions, users are not required to report how much they pump, and public access to drilling records is highly restricted.