Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Groundwater depletion sinks home prices in California's Central Valley
It's not so much about water as it about subsidence.
"Depressing" 
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-groundwater-depletion-home-prices-california.html
A UC Riverside study has found that as land in California's Central Valley sinks due to excessive groundwater pumping, so do local housing values.
The research found that homes in subsiding—or gradually sinking—areas lost between 2.4% and 5.8% of their sale value. In dollar terms, that translates to losses between $6,689 and $16,165 per home.
These costs totaled $1.87 billion in aggregate housing value lost across the Central Valley due to subsidence, the study estimated.
"Basically, the land is sinking and so are the property values," said Mehdi Nemati, a UCR assistant professor of environmental economics and policy who led the study. "This is the first time anyone has quantified how much land subsidence costs homeowners in this region."
The research found that homes in subsiding—or gradually sinking—areas lost between 2.4% and 5.8% of their sale value. In dollar terms, that translates to losses between $6,689 and $16,165 per home.
These costs totaled $1.87 billion in aggregate housing value lost across the Central Valley due to subsidence, the study estimated.
"Basically, the land is sinking and so are the property values," said Mehdi Nemati, a UCR assistant professor of environmental economics and policy who led the study. "This is the first time anyone has quantified how much land subsidence costs homeowners in this region."
Paper/Abstract:
https://le.uwpress.org/content/early/2025/07/22/le.102.1.092324-0083R
PDF:
https://le.uwpress.org/content/wple/early/2025/07/22/le.102.1.092324-0083R.full.pdf