Local wells near the solar projects are either being sucked dry or are already dry as a bone due to the construction of multiple utility-scale solar projects located near Desert Center, which is located along the stretch of Interstate 10 out near Palm Springs.

Local residents and businesses are no longer able to pump the water they once did due to these behemoth solar farms. The projects do not use much water once operational, but they suck up a whole lot of water during construction because state law requires developers to mitigate dust, which they do by spraying water across the landscape.

"The projects are being built on public land overseen by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management," wrote Wyatt Myskow for Inside Climate News.

"The federal agency knew the construction of the solar projects could impact local wells and may even be over-drafting the aquifer beneath them, according to former BLM staff, studies on the basin and public documents from the agency's environmental assessments of the projects."