New Study Reveals These Texas Cities Are Slowly Sinking

Houston, We have a problem and that problem is that YOU’RE SINKING!! But don’t worry, you’re not alone. According to CBS News, 28 major U.S. cities—including heavy hitters like New York, Dallas, and Seattle—are literally sinking. Like, the ground is going down.

A new study published in Nature Cities by researchers at Virginia Tech used satellite radar to measure how fast the land beneath these cities is dropping. Spoiler alert: It’s not great.

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Here’s Why These texas Cities Are Sinking

Turns out, all this sinking—aka land subsidence—is mostly due to groundwater extraction. Basically, we’re slurping up so much water from underground that the earth is collapsing in on itself. Yikes.

In every city studied, at least 20% of urban land is sinking. In 25 of them, it’s 65% or more. Oh, and more than 29,000 buildings are located in high or very high-risk zones for damage. Think roads, bridges, dams, your favorite taco spot—all at risk.

Texas cities are going down faster than your phone battery at 1%. Houston is the worst offender, with over 40% of its land sinking faster than 5 millimeters per year. That’s faster than your ex ghosting you after one “What are we?” text. Some parts are even sinking faster than 10 mm a year!

So yeah, it’s not just climate change—we’re literally deflating our cities like sad balloons.