"California's agricultural empire is facing a shakeup, as a state law comes into effect that will limit many farmers' access to water.
The seven-year-old law is supposed to stop the over-pumping from depleted aquifers, and some farmers — the largest users of that water — concede the limits are overdue.
The state grows roughly 40% of the country's vegetables, fruit and nuts. But it's also famously prone to drought, and in those dry years, when farms run short of water from rivers and reservoirs, they turn on powerful pumps and draw well water from aquifers.
The limits on that water use will force many farmers to scrap practices that relied on unfettered access to that shrinking underground reservoir."
Dan Charles reports for NPR October 7, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"Water Is Scarce In California. But Farmers Have Found Ways To Store It Underground" (NPR)
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