Wang, and 4 co-authors, reported in early 2021 with a comprehensive analysis of groundwater-withdrawal-induced land subsidence that has been a big concern in Montgomery County, Texas, U.S. since the 2000s. As of 2020, approximately half of the entire county is experiencing subsidence over 5 mm/year. The authors investigated ongoing land subsidence in Montgomery County using groundwater-level, extensometer, and GPS datasets. They found that land subsidence in Montgomery County since the mid-2000s is primarily contributed by:
- sediment compaction in the Evangeline and Jasper aquifers;
- the compaction of Jasper aquifer contributes approximately one-third of the land subsidence since the mid-2000s;
- the pre-consolidation heads of the Chicot, Evangeline, and Jasper aquifers in Montgomery County are close to each other, approximately 15–25 m below mean sea level; and
- the virgin-compaction/head-decline ratio is approximately 1:250 in the Evangeline aquifer and 1:800 in the Jasper aquifer in central and southern Montgomery County.
As of 2020, the Jasper groundwater-level altitude is approximately 20–40 m below the pre-consolidation head in the central and southern Montgomery County; the Evangeline groundwater-level altitude is about 40–60 m below the pre-consolidation head. Land subsidence will continue to occur as long as the groundwater-level altitude in either the Evangeline or the Jasper aquifer remains below the pre-consolidation head.
[For a historical review of literature, see (here).
For overview of impact of subsidence in Houston area, see (here)]
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