(Bloomberg) -- Land in California’s central valley agriculturalregion sank more than a foot in just eight months in some places asresidents and farmers pump more and more groundwater amid a recorddrought.

The ground near Corcoran, 173 miles (278 kilometers) north ofLos Angeles, dropped about 1.6 inches every 30 days. One area inthe Sacramento Valley was descending about half-an-inch per month,faster than previous measurements, according to a report releasedWednesday by the Department of Water Resources. NASA completed thestudy by comparing satellite images of Earth’s surface overtime.

“Groundwater levels are reaching record lows -- up to 100 feetlower than previous records,” Mark Cowin, the department’sdirector, said in a statement. “As extensive groundwater pumpingcontinues, the land is sinking more rapidly and this puts nearbyinfrastructure at greater risk of costly damage.”

Areas along the California Aqueduct -- a system of canals andtunnels that ships water from the north to the south -- sank asmuch as 12.5 inches, with eight inches of that occurring in justfour months of 2014, researchers found.

The warnings come as a four-year, record-setting droughtsqueezed California’s $43 billion agriculture industry and led tomandatory, statewide water restrictions for the first time.

The sinking could damage aqueducts, bridges, roads and dams,NASA said. As it occurs over time, sinking land has alreadydestroyed thousands of public and private groundwater well casingsin central California, the agency found.

A state law enacted in September requires local governments toform agencies to regulate pumping to better manage groundwatersupplies.

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