overpump

verb

over·​pump ˌō-vər-ˈpəmp 

overpumped; overpumping

transitive + intransitive

: to pump (something) excessively

especially : to pump water from (a water source) at a greater rate than it is replenished

overpumping groundwater

When the aquifer is overpumped, the dropping water level can make shallower wells useless.

—Dan Feldstein

When a drought hits and imported water is reduced, farmers start overpumping and subsidence continues.

—William M. Alley and Rosemarie Alley

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1871, in the meaning defined above