The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 3rd that corporate farms in the United States are overusing groundwater for irrigation, accelerating water resource depletion and worsening drought damage in nearby areas.
Based on the results of analysing water level data from more than 80,000 wells across the country from 1940 to 2022, the NYT diagnosed the state of groundwater depletion and environmental impact in the United States caused by corporate farms.
A representative example is what happened during the severe drought that hit Minnesota in 2021. Minnesota is known as a region rich in water resources due to its many lakes, but in 2021, it experienced a severe drought that caused trees to dry out.
At a time when most people were just hoping for rain, large corporate farms had another option: groundwater for irrigation.
In 2021, at least 6.1 billion gallons (23 billion Liters) of groundwater was used more than the state’s permitted amount, and one-third of the excess use occurred on a farm owned by a company called RD Offutt.
The NYT reported that RD Offutt was able to produce potatoes for McDonald’s French fries without any problems even during a severe drought thanks to pumped groundwater.
This use of groundwater by corporate farms has also been applied to growing other crops such as corn, soybeans, and sugarcane.
The company explained that it had no choice but to use excess groundwater to prevent crop damage due to severe drought in 2021.
The problem is that excessive use of groundwater during drought years has further worsened drought damage for Minnesota residents.
In 2021, Minnesota’s intensive use of groundwater lowered water levels in aquifers, according to a NYT analysis. An aquifer refers to a stratum that contains groundwater.
The NYT pointed out that the lowered aquifer water level reduced the supply of cold groundwater to nearby rivers, raising river water temperatures, which ultimately posed a threat to fish ecosystems such as trout.
In addition, in some areas of Minnesota, backyard wells are drying up, making it difficult to use water at home.
The NYT warned, “What happened in Minnesota should be a wake-up call across the United States,” and added, “Even in areas where water is normally abundant, overuse of groundwater in some areas can have dire consequences.”
“We are expanding groundwater use into little-known aquifers,” said Ellen Considine, an adviser to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We may not be leaving enough groundwater for future generations.”