[terycarl]

Why would there be a diminishing supply of ground water there....they are surrounded by water...the Mississippi river flows right by and the Gulf of Mexico is right on their doorstep.....MUCHO water.

[RouxStir]

It's because of the soil composition. Water flowing on the surface may not even penetrate more than a few inches into the soil. Much of the soil is layers of clay (nonporous) in that area, with layers of sand/gravel in between. The sand and gravel are aquifers. When you draw water more water out of the aquifer than is flowing in, that layer shrinks. Depending on the thickness of the upper layer of clay, the shrinking porous layer can cause foundation problems. Sometimes, when there is drought involved (even without water being pumped from the aquifer), the upper layers of clay develop cracks as the clay dries....foundations develop cracks, shallow pilings shift, door frames and windows become misaligned, etc. Just part of living with that type of soil.