Regulation stopped Houston’s sinking ground—and it’s working again.
Some areas near the Houston Ship Channel had sunk nearly 10 feet due to groundwater overuse. But since the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District began regulating groundwater withdrawals in the late 1970s, water levels have rebounded and subsidence rates have dropped to nearly zero.
“That’s a direct result of regulation,” says Michael Turco of the District.
As development spread northwest, newer communities still relied heavily on groundwater—but a phased regulatory plan is now reducing their dependence from 100% in 2010 to just 20% by 2035.
The science is clear: when groundwater use goes down, water levels rise—and the land stops sinking
Episode at https://bit.ly/HoustonSinking
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