--- title: California Drought Water: Why Some Parts of the State Are Shrinking description: Some land in California's Central Valley is sinking as by as much as two inches per month as a result of groundwater pumping canonical: https://time.com/4003823/california-drought-sinking/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-19T20:52:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:05.570Z article:section: Science og:title: Why the Drought Has Led Some Parts of California to Sink og:description: Some areas are sinking 2 in. each month og:url: https://time.com/4003823/california-drought-sinking/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45a6bf4cfd48f5c7/6988602ae53aba19c54df2f1/california-sinking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5184 og:image:height: 2916 og:image:alt: A field of recently planted crops grows off California Highway 65, near Ducor and south of Porterville during the historic California drought on June 24, 2015 near Ducor, Calif. The rural poor depend on groundwater and with farmers digging deep to water og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why the Drought Has Led Some Parts of California to Sink twitter:description: Some areas are sinking 2 in. each month twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45a6bf4cfd48f5c7/6988602ae53aba19c54df2f1/california-sinking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why the Drought Has Led Some Parts of California to Sink > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=91113330-60c8-486c-a365-d91fac35095f&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Los Angeles Throws 96M Balls At California's Drought Problem [Watch (HLS stream): Los Angeles Throws 96M Balls At California's Drought Problem](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7Yn2cIV0.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2015-08-13. Millions of spheres, 4 inches in diameter, are meant to slow water evaporation from Los Angeles reservoirs by simply floating on the water._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 19, 2015 8:52 PM UTC  A field of recently planted crops grows off California Highway 65, near Ducor and south of Porterville during the historic California drought on June 24, 2015 near Ducor, Calif. The rural poor depend on groundwater and with farmers digging deep to water their fields, communities relying on groundwater struggle. A field of recently planted crops grows off California Highway 65, near Ducor and south of Porterville during the historic California drought on June 24, 2015 near Ducor, Calif. The rural poor depend on groundwater and with farmers digging deep to water their fields, communities relying on groundwater struggle. Patrick T. Fallon—The Washington Post/Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Aug 19, 2015 8:52 PM UTC Some land in California’s Central Valley is sinking as by as much as 2 in. per month as water is pumped out of the ground to serve the state during its historic drought, according to new research. The land sinking, known as subsidence, has occurred in California for decades but never at such a rapid rate. Researchers attribute the faster subsidence rate to increased consumption of groundwater beneath the earth’s surface due to the drought. Groundwater levels have recently reached record lows, according to a [California Department of Water Resources press release](http://www.water.ca.gov/news/newsreleases/2015/081915.pdf). The rapid sinking has the potential to disrupt key infrastructure in the region, including bridges, roads and structures to prevent flooding. The state enacted legislation to improve management of groundwater last year, but key provisions will not go into effect for years. To evaluate subsidence rates for the new research, NASA scientists looked at changes in satellite images over time. The research was provided to the California Department of Water Resources, which released the findings. “Groundwater acts as a savings account to provide supplies during drought, but the NASA report shows the consequences of excessive withdrawals as we head into the fifth year of historic drought,” Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said in a statement. **READ NEXT**: [_Why Some California Cities Are Bracing for a Bear Invasion_ ](http://time.com/3912675/california-bear-invasion/) ## Transcript What's black, round meant to save water, and cost $ 34. 5 million? [ SOUND ] Well, they're called shade balls and that's exactly what they do. The spheres, four inches in diameter, are meant to cut down on water evaporation from the Los Angeles reservoirs by simply floating on top of the water. By reducing evaporation, the shade balls will conserve. 300 million gallons of water each year, instead of just evaporating into the sky. Oddly enough Californians use this method to conserve water before. It was originally used in 2008 to help with water quality, but the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power discovered it has the added benefit of reducing evaporation off of the reservoir Surface by 85 to 90 %. The 96 million shade balls covering the surface of the Los Angeles reservoir cost about 35 cents each. And while this method seems a bit unorthodox, the mayor says the alternative options are much, much more expensive. For example, according to the mayor's office, building two floating covers over the 175 acre reservoir. Would have cost upwards of $ 300 million, but the LA Department of Water and Power says this plastic is made of high density polyethylene, so it's reportedly not harmful if it touches drinking water. This isn't gonna add to that kind of plastic pollution. No, nothing leaks out of it, nothing gets In the water. The need for something, anything, to help the state's water reserves is pretty drastic. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, this is California's fourth straight year of severe drought and it's affecting more than 92 % of the state. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4003823/california-drought-sinking/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4003823/california-drought-sinking/"},"headline":"Why the Drought Has Led Some Parts of California to Sink","datePublished":"2015-08-19T20:52:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:58:05.570Z","description":"Some areas are sinking 2 in. each month","url":"https://time.com/4003823/california-drought-sinking/","keywords":["climate change"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45a6bf4cfd48f5c7/6988602ae53aba19c54df2f1/california-sinking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt45a6bf4cfd48f5c7/6988602ae53aba19c54df2f1/california-sinking.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"A field of recently planted crops grows off California Highway 65, near Ducor and south of Porterville during the historic California drought on June 24, 2015 near Ducor, Calif. 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