I think this too strong of a generalization.
The Great Plains region, for example, relies on the Ogalalla Aquifer for it's groundwater, which has been dropping at accelerating rates because so many farmers and ranchers draw heavily from it (even more than they would otherwise, thanks to crop subsidies), along with being a huge drinking water source. The depletion of groundwater is a big deal in that region.
And for the east coast and Mississippi region, they don't use deep aquifer wells, they use rain-charged ground water wells that fluctuate with the climate.
New York and pretty much all states east of the mississippi suffer from an overabundance of rainwater/water. Water will never be a long term problem here, at least not for a very very very long time.
As for kansas, no offense, but who cares? There have always been supposed water issues in that part. If the fear mongers were right, kansas would have been a barren deserted wasteland decades ago. Of course if the fear mongers were right, civilization would have ended already due to peak oil, global cooling, global warming, 2012, the pandemic, etc.
BTW, more than 70% of americans live east of the mississippi. So america isn't using up its groundwater like there is no tomorrow. Small parts of america might be. But on the whole, the US is rich in water. Water isn't a problem in the US and will never be. But for some reason, the fear mongering never ends. Maybe fear sells. I don't know.
Every fear years, the news runs the same fear mongering story. It's like groundhog's day.
Whatever happened to lake mead? Did the apocalypse already happen and I miss it? I swear a few years ago, california was over due to water. California still around? Mount Rainier was supposed to lose its snow cap by now. Is Mt Rainier bald as a monk now?
On the other hand California is 1/6th of the USA's economy, and 12% of the population. The "Southwest, Great Plains, plus California" is a significant part of the USA.
The reality is, when it comes to groundwater anyway, all you need to do is look at land area vs mountain ranges and you can form a pretty intuitive understanding of water flows, since water flows to the lowest spots until it eventually reaches the sea or seeps into the ground. The parent to your post is very correct, California because most of the state is between the sea and a close-in mountain range has minimal ground water outside its direct watersheds, and must use intentional irrigation and pumping to move and use water. Consequently, they are one of the primary users of water originating in other parts of the country. As someone residing in Colorado, we are /well/ (no pun intended) aware of how water is used and how water rights work, and the reality is that California has an out-sized usage compared to other states, and frankly takes more than its fair share.
> Over a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California.
https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/Statistics/
> California is America’s food-producing powerhouse. Despite being home to just 4 percent of the farms and ranches in the country—83,217 of them, according to the most recent United States Census of Agriculture—the state generates 11.04 percent of the U.S. agricultural value. In 2021, that meant $54.5 million in cash receipts from agriculture poured into California. In fact, California is the fifth-largest supplier of food and other agricultural products in the world.
The Central Valley alone—the 400-mile-long, 50-mile-wide region starting just south of Bakersfield and extending northward to Redding—produces 8 percent of America’s food supply though it contains just 1 percent of the country’s farmland.
Half of all fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. come from California, and the state effectively produces all (at least 99 percent) of America’s almonds, pistachios, pomegranates, and walnuts. California is also the nation’s leading grower of lima beans, lemons, kumquats, raspberries, strawberries, and spinach—to name just a few.
https://californialocal.com/localnews/statewide/ca/article/s...
That's about the percentage of the US population that resides in California.
If they produce 8% of America's food supply, that means they're a net importer.
As I said, most of the country doesn't get produce from California. It's regional.
The 8% was for the central valley alone.
> As I said, most of the country doesn't get produce from California
Quite a lot of it does; you seemed to overlook “Over a third of the country’s vegetables and three-quarters of the country’s fruits and nuts are grown in California.”
It’s not a problem for just the Southwest. It’s a problem for the whole country. Massive amounts of food derive from the use of groundwater in the U.S. and we can’t just shift production easily. This would cause huge disruptions in the food supply and for the economy. It requires federal solutions. It’s a problem for America.
I don't see why this requires a federal solution. Those states own/control their own water. If they want to use it all up, that's their problem. It's all going to get used up eventually.
The states have formed various compacts, under the supervision of the federal government, the detail how water will be shared among them. These cover, for example, the Colorado, Rio Grande and Pecos rivers.
And if Kansas drains the Oglalla aquifer, that severely screws the other 4 or 5 states that draw from it.
Which is why it is a federal issue since the federal government controls interstate trade. Thus it’s accurate to say that America is depleting its aquifers. Which is the point of my response to you.
That you think states control their own water suggests you don’t understand the issue. For instance, one state can’t just put a dam on river and declare all of the water theirs and not allow distribution of it to other states.