California Implements Water Restrictions in Farming Region Due to Overpumping
California's state water officials have placed a farming region in the San Joaquin valley on "probation" due to destructive pumping of depleted groundwater, marking the first such intervention under the state's 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Large water users will face fees and state oversight of their pumping, with the decision met by strong backlash from farmers who fear economic repercussions. The move comes after years of over-pumping causing the land to collapse, and is aimed at setting lagging local agencies back on track to achieve sustainability goals by 2040.