Wine production makes wells run dry in Paso Robles

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Oct 30, 2013

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Wine production makes wells run dry in Paso Robles

As vineyards proliferate around this farm town halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, residential wells are starting to go dry.

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2010 file photo, winemaker Jason Haas walks past rows of Grenache Blanc vines at Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, Calif. Imagine preparing a gourmet meal short of key ingredients and you’ll understand Haas’ dilemma this year. The one-two wallop of a late freeze and early rains have combined in this 2011 vintage year to create a dearth on the Central Coast of thin-skinned white grapes such as Viognier, Marsanne and Grenache blanc, critical ingredients in Haas’ Tablas Creek Rhone-style blends. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

As vineyards proliferate around this farm town halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, residential wells are starting to go dry.

It’s picking time for wine vineyards in the central California community of Paso Robles, and the farmers are bringing in a rich harvest. As vineyards proliferate around this farm town halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, residential wells are starting to go dry.

Some are calling the plight of Paso Robles a good example of what’s wrong with California’s unregulated groundwater supply. For the California Report, Chris Richard has the story.