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<br />1321
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<br />h~r trailer had dt'voured .1 SfOra,I.':C
<br />shed.) The j.l(t IS rhls land is usdeu:
<br />~ho would \I.'dOt to bUIld on It now)
<br />^nd youun"( IrrJ~le II. ^II \'our water
<br />would daappear mto Into' tra{b_~ She
<br />shru,c"ged ht't tnUl shoulJers. MI mid
<br />them they IlU,l:nr fa ,':c:r mterested In
<br />rllest' [hLn~s (du_' flssun:s]. ,mJ ....hen I
<br />sho.....ed dlt"m rhe phOlm I hoW of lhc~e.
<br />rhey couldn't bt.-lle\"C.' It."
<br />JUn{- COX dOl:s not know vel If ht't
<br />prou:st Will be successful. Ii It IS. It
<br />ml~hI sp,uk .I ....hok. skw of Slffill.u
<br />pt.-Iltlons, for rhe fa,lls th,1.[ rnt'fe IS a
<br />senous land SUbSIJt'IlU:' problem In the
<br />Demm,l: at!:,)., .mJ ffiJ.ny of us I.urners
<br />and ranchers Me .urt".l,h ..fleeted. That
<br />.lflCrnOOn Iht' _i.:t'OIO,l:lSI. Gre,ll:ory Con-
<br />{.LIdo, (00.. hIS VISHOf ro haJl a JOlen
<br />od'lt"[ sires. pomtmg out [0 him the
<br />mamflllJ evidence of J ,,",colo,clCJ.1 phe-
<br />nomenon rh,j.( IS of InCre35m~ concern
<br />not IU~1 [() Dt'mm/.: but [0 rhe South-
<br />we~t trom \I.'est Tex.ll J.CtO~S to south-
<br />central ^nzona, They looked al more
<br />of the dt'l,,'penln,g fis~ures, .u ule and
<br />concrete J.queJucls olfser or broken. ,1[
<br />wdl sl.lbs that once sat tlush with rhe
<br />ground but now protruded rv.'o feel
<br />and mort' .Ibovc the surfJ.Ce, Slx{(:en
<br />rooids in Iheart'a han' beend.unaJ.:cd by
<br />subSidence and ses'etaJ of {hem have
<br />haJ to be conunuJlI}' rep.tJrt'J. ~'c11
<br />C.llm,gs have sheart"d becau~e of sub-
<br />surface SOli shifts. and rhe wells hJ\'C
<br />had!O be abandoned. Gradually a fund
<br />of oul hlslOry Jbou{ ~ubsid(:nce IS .lC-
<br />cumulallnl.:. Thert' i~ {he couple whose
<br />expenSl\"(' house and s\l.'lmmin..,: pool
<br />SIt squareh' m {he {renJ of a sreadily
<br />len,l:1henw!,: liS\ure_ -One da~' soon,"
<br />someone s,ud, ~Ihev're ,gonna ~"J.ke up
<br />and liod no .....arer in thaI pool.- Thl.'re
<br />are scones llf Jirt biken ndlnlo: unex-
<br />pecredl}' mm lissures that has'c opened
<br />overni/;:.hr, of a CHIO.ld of hunlen
<br />bound jor tht'lf favowe spot onl}' to
<br />discov("r rhal rhe road leaJwl:' 10 If had
<br />caved in, oj livestock Ihar had f,lllen
<br />Inro fissures on Ihe tan"e. One of Hilly
<br />Fosrt;r's lidJs had Jes'I.'loped a hu~e
<br />crack and wlrh sub~cquenl r:roslOn had
<br />become imptlsslblt' 10 Irrl./.:.llt' since .111
<br />fhe ",'aler no..... ran do.....n IOfH the tis-
<br />sure, ".\nd )'ou kno\l.;~ s.liJ olnUfher
<br />farmet. ~for a fJ.rmer who's nOI .1.11 rh,j(
<br />bl./.: rhat In~{ lielJ'lJ make a dlfference.-
<br />In the: D...mlnlZ area, ~.liJ Gfl.'~llr}" Con-
<br />tal do. Ihe!t' w.u a dlspmlflon to tolll 01.11
<br />01 thls an ~ .\Cf (JI GuJ, I know belrer.
<br />Thl~ IS man-<:Ju\t...!. - ^~ he ~roi..:e ol_O::USI
<br />of hO! Je\crl .....md whlrpt.d o\-r:r rhe
<br />bJ.keJ.d;l.~ ~oll senJlo);: some of If
<br />
<br />!.
<br />I
<br />
<br />j
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />\);'llUUSES~
<br />
<br />F:\LL Ill!!-
<br />
<br />bndly ..JOlt .lnJ Wil\'If'l,l.: the me\qum:
<br />..od fhe ,l.:rr:~ewooJ bushl.'s, -rhe\"fl'
<br />uYln,g warcrcunsumpuon In this areJ IS
<br />g(lln~ 10 level ul'! J.Nlund ~O 10. I Sl.'e no
<br />t'videnle lO suppOrt [hat prOlc((lon.
<br />Bu[ I do koow IhIS. .1.[ the r.1l1;' IheY'fe
<br />pumplf'l,ll: nuw {he:~"!e /.:om.: 10 CXh.lUSf
<br />thr:1r grounJ \"'aler resources \l.lfhlO a.
<br />hundred s'eJrs. BUf ~'OU sure can'l gu
<br />InlO soml.: gu\"'~ fArm .lrOl,m..! ht'fe ,m..!
<br />lell hIm ho..... he's ~OiOg to run lh1O..s.
<br />These are vcr... proud, mJt'renJent
<br />people hl.'rt'_ The\' ~Implv dun'r unJt:r-
<br />sund thl' plllblt"m. ~
<br />
<br />U nlll fairly retenrlr, rhe
<br />mt'thJ.nisms of land sub~I'
<br />.kn((: were not well unJer-
<br />Sl(luJ b... and)(>J~', and Ihe conm'OltlO
<br />berv.'een subside:nct' and oS'Ndrafun"
<br />of ground wa[I.'cs Wa5 not unJersrood a.[
<br />.111. In wme sectors 01 [he Sourhwt'~I's
<br />populalion, Ih.lf connecrlOn a 51111
<br />being deOled-bul Ihen, so 100 a the
<br />fJ.ctlhal ~'ou (an exhJ.uS[ ,ground walt'r
<br />supplle~, The father 01 SOil me:(holnl(S
<br />.....01.5 [he Czech C1vd en,clnet"r KJ.r1
<br />Teruo::hl who organllt'J \I.'ha.l Illde .....a5
<br />known on the SUblt"Cl J.nd lormub[ed
<br />ifS unlhln~ con(eplS In the 1920s,
<br />Te:rul':hi's Sludi(,s showell thaf whl.'n an
<br />area's walt'r foible decbnes, if sl...:nlli-
<br />candy 1OCfeJ.sr:s fhe effecl1s'e Strt"H Iln
<br />the soil 1}'1n.r.: abovt, Iht' "''3rer rable.
<br />Alter fhe It'\'elllf sod S[rCH bc-cau\e of
<br />"''3tl.'r dl.'pkuon becomes ~re,1[cr fhan
<br />fhe ~normal~ Sfress level (a srreH pres-
<br />I.'Of SImply irom [he wel,.:tll of fhe SOli!
<br />rhe SOlI\ compact-i.c" shnnl.. In s'ul-
<br />ume. Tnt'n, SlOet' the sod's aqul'ouS
<br />support has been withdrawn. II can
<br />slf'lk and crack. The pnnClple can be
<br />crudel)' understood by jillln~ .I. par
<br />WIth wilfer-safurafed muJ, rhen alia",.
<br />in,>: fhe m35S 10 df\' and harden. Tht'
<br />m.lSS 15 Ihen mu(h [l,,'du(eJ m volume,
<br />and as il (omra(lS If cr.lcb. In SOIls
<br />cont.llnln,>: I.uge rercenr.l"es oj cla~'
<br />the COmpall10n from water depletIOn IS
<br />even more dramJ.!!c, and sUlh n the
<br />ca.sl.' in Ihe Dt:mJn.': JreJ, .lnJ also In
<br />pans of ~OUlh-(t'ntra.l ^fllona._ \\b,1[ is
<br />mil In [)e:mln./.: pnm.lnh a ruul phe-
<br />nomenon. m ^rtlona 1\ becomml: an
<br />urb.ln Ilnt."wifh exrenslve .InJ alarmln~
<br />jXlrl'ntlJI.
<br />-\\i:'re In worse shJpe in fhl~ re::ard
<br />((lverJr.llun./.: .lnJ subsIJc:nn'] fhan
<br />anvone else In Ihe countn' I:XCl'Pf fhe
<br />SanJO.lqulO \'J.lley," ~,liJ Tr.n- L Pewe,
<br />a ..:e:UIO.1:1SI ar .\fllona SUII.' Unl\'I.'rslt\.
<br />ITt'mpeJ .1nd J IC3Jlfll/: I'xrert un Iht.
<br />rhenomc:non. H\\'e've hl:cn rumpln"
<br />
<br />OUf our ,L:round "-,IIN since fhe '20s--
<br />much earhe:r than mO~1 (lthN 4rt'JS_~
<br />Indeed. Since pumplnO: [x./.:an, more
<br />than j 3 million Jcre-tt't'I h..lve bt't'n
<br />ukl:n OUf ot fhe: Salf Rl\'l.'f Valley bum
<br />in fhr: PhoC:'ntx .lr,'a. Pr:.....e cSllmales
<br />rhJ.t more rholn abouI -; ,000 square
<br />ktlomt'l(:rsol Ihe SUfl:, mosr ,ollhem In
<br />rhe Phoenlx-Iu-Tucson rt',L:lOn. .lrr: CUt-
<br />f{'ntlr t'xpenr:neln,lo: subSldcnu'.rr:lJ.I'
<br />eJ rrobJr:m~. He mr:nl1oneJ ill rarflCU-
<br />lar J.n J.re.l of north"-esr Phoc:nlx where
<br />subslJt'nce 01 tis'I.' lee:r anJ more hdS
<br />c.lu~ed ((.Ilks In bUIIJln..:s J.nd de-
<br />((cased the: ~r.1Jlents 01 H'Wt'r lines
<br />caUstn/-: slug"l.:lsh 110...... r,'versl' 110w, and
<br />Ihr: budd-up or explOSIVe melh.lne
<br />..:a.sses, W!I (SUbSIJ,'nu.'1 can be eO,lo:I-
<br />nt'erl.J .lrounJ: Pt'we salJ, M,:{ I'ou'te
<br />aw-arr: uf If, bUf VOU'Vt' /-:ut to he awarr:
<br />of If, and unul rect:nrh' CHi' JWr:J1efS
<br />IUSl \I.'e:ten'I,~
<br />It,rrente Moore, a Tucson rhorn"ra-
<br />pher who has bet'fl followln,L: fhr:
<br />problem fhrou,gh much of [hIS decJde.
<br />..avs tht' n4furt' of It beo:an to chanll;e
<br />"'Hh [he spread oj urb.ln tl\'iliuuon
<br />IntO.ldl.lct'nt .Irt'.ll iurmerly In a,[:rj(ul-
<br />fural pn>Juctlon, SIO((' larm...n lfllhe
<br />Suurhwesl 4S elsewhl.'ft' ha\"(' hlslor-
<br />lCall}' been by f,u the mmt J.Cllve
<br />pumpers, rhe l.J.nds now bUIlT up with
<br />hnuslnO: developments and \hoppJn,lt
<br />Cl.'ntl:r5 ma\' wdl rrove w ne unstable.
<br />He mentlonl.'d ~o large Tu.son-J.re.l
<br />lawsuHS In whICh th,' rlaJnrl(j~ sur:d
<br />eOOfracmrs because fhelr nl'W homes
<br />hJ.J Jeveloped St'flOU~ structural
<br />cracks. In one of rhe: SUltS If w:n alle.':e..!
<br />thaf fhe comr.tClor had l;uk',! ro com.
<br />polel hiS soil suificlefllh' [)I:lure faistn.1l:
<br />SlrUClures on H, ,"Ioore Su~t,..ted fhe
<br />Ja.m.l,lo:C' mJ\" nOl ha\'e been {he f.lult of
<br />the comraClor's ne...:ltgente bUI the re-
<br />~ulr oj subslde:nce.
<br />Anlona 15, howevr:r. frvlng ro ad-
<br />dress rhe rroblem before II becomes
<br />a full.blll.....n cau,strophe, In 19110 II
<br />enacted acomprehl.'nslve: .c:round \",ater
<br />code: ca.lled [he ^mona Ground Wafer
<br />^Cf. The law Cfe:ared j(lUr ACflve
<br />M..na/.:l"menr .\reas in lho~e plJ.ct:s
<br />\\hert' o\'crdrajlLng 'Q,'a~ l."\PCll"Uy
<br />marked J.nd set .l fJr,gef J.lrt: of 202~
<br />v.ht'n s.tfe )Ield must be J.~hleveJ-
<br />I,e., when "'llhJr.lw.alsof..:munJ "'.Iu,r
<br />mU\f t'qual !"ch..lr~e. Tro\' Pt'We un
<br />he: IS cauflou~ly opflmlSflC thaf s.lle
<br />)'ldJ (an bl.' J.chles'eJ b)' (ht' ur,':et
<br />Jare SlOl(' o\'erJrajunll: J.nd \ubsld("nce
<br />Me ~nuw rt'"co.l.:niled J.S m410r gt'O-
<br />IOJo'lcal rf(Jblt-m~.~
<br />Tu be sure. fherr: IS (omldl.'rablc rt'-
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<br />49
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