Harris-Galveston Subsidence District

Katy and Houston-Area Communities Are Sinking, New Monitoring Shows

Diagram explaining how groundwater pumping compresses Gulf Coast aquifer layers and causes land subsidence in Katy, TexasGroundwater pumping lowers aquifer pressure, causing clay and silt layers to compact and the land surface to sink. Scientists track the movement with GPS, satellite radar, extensometers and monitoring wells.

Katy and Houston-Area Communities Are Sinking: How Scientists Measure the Ground Beneath Us By The Katy News StaffPublished July 25, 2026 KATY, Texas — Katy’s rapid growth is visible above ground, but scientists are also documenting a slower and largely […]