Who could have possibly predicted that subsidizing water for agriculture would lead to more water being used by agriculture?
From Wyoming to the Texas Panhandle, water tables have fallen 150 feet in some areas — ranging from 15 percent to 75 percent — since the 1950s, scientists say, because the subsidies give farmers the incentive to irrigate more acres of land.
Agriculture uses 80% of the water in the US and water table levels are dropping precipitously in western states. This is, to put it mildly, not even slightly sustainable.