| Abstract: | Land subsidence caused by man-induced depressuring of underground reservoirs has occurred in at least nine urban areas in the United States. Significant efforts to control it have been made in three areas: Long Beach, California; Houston-Galveston, Texas; and Santa Clara Valley, California. In these areas coastal flooding and its control cost more than $300 million. Institutional changes were required in each area to ameliorate its subsidence problem. In Long Beach and Houston-Galveston, efforts were made to mitigate subsidence only after significant flood damage had occurred. To arrest subsidence at Long Beach, the city lobbied for a special state law, the California Subsidence Act, that required unitization and repressuring of the Wilmington oil field. In the Houston-Galveston region, the Texas State Legislature authorized formation of the Harris-Galveston Coastal Subsidence District with authority to regulate ground-water pumping by permit. This solution, which was achieved through efforts of entities affected by subsidence, was the product of a series of compromises necessitated by political fragmentation and disjointed water planning in the region. Amelioration of subsidence in the Santa Clara Valley was a collateral benefit from the effort by water users to curtail ground-water overdraft in the valley. Importation of surface water and a tax on ground-water pumpage reduced ground-water use, thereby allowing the recovery of water level and the arresting of subsidence. ?? 1989. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 70015344 |
| Citation Author: | Holzer, T. L. |
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| Citation End Page: | 466 |
| Citation Issue: | 1-4 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | Engineering Geology |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 18 |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | State and local response to damaging land subsidence in United States urban areas; 1989; Article; Journal; Engineering Geology; Holzer, T. L. |
| Citation Start Page: | 449 |
| Citation Volume: | 27 |
| Citation Year: | 1989 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | State and local response to damaging land subsidence in United States urban areas; 1989; Article; Journal; Engineering Geology; Holzer, T. L. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| Date Other: | Sun, 1 Jan 1989 00:00 -0600 |
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