aquifer

Although this week's rainfall is welcome and will go some way to help river levels and soil moisture content, it will take some time for catchments to recover and for reservoirs and aquifers to respond.

Where aquifer levels decline, wells and faucets increasingly sputter and run dry, people drill deeper and the land can sink as underground spaces collapse.

Protecting the aquifers that sustain these springs is essential, not only for iconic wildlife like manatees, but also for supplying drinking water to nearly half of Florida's population.

Homes in large portions of California’s Central Valley have been sinking, as have roads, bridges, canals and levees, as too much water is drawn out of underground aquifers.

The district also plans to expand a facility near Lancaster where water is banked underground in the aquifer and can be pumped and delivered in dry times.