Mojave Desert groundwater will be transferred to the cities, as California appellate court upholds ruling.
California's 4th District Court of Appeals three-judge panel ruled on May 10 that selling water to agencies did not violate any state laws. The decision allows Los Angeles-based private company, Cadiz, Inc., to transfer 75,000 acre feet of groundwater from the Mojave Desert to Southern California homes and businesses.
The transfer of groundwater will be through a 43-mile pipeline that passes the Colorado River aqueduct to the 34 new wells in Cadiz and Fenner valleys located in San Bernardino County. The transfer of groundwater would be enough to provide water to as many as 150,000 households.
Cadiz, Inc. plans to transfer 50,000 acre feet of water annually in the next 50 years and as much as 75,000 acre feet yearly to city water agencies led by Santa Margarita Water District.
"We are extremely grateful for appellate court opinion and its validation of the environmental review and approval of the water project," said Scott Slater, Cadiz's CEO.
Santa Margarita Water District has released a statement saying that it is equally relieved that legal concerns were addressed and that it is looking forward to continue planning and designing the facilities.
Delaware Tetra Technologies Inc. was among those who blocked the transfer of groundwater because it believes that the project would hurt the Mojave Desert salt mine. Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that also filed a lawsuit, said that it is mulling to appeal the decision, knowing that it has a strong case.
"Projects like this give momentum to development that we don't need," said Aruna Prabhala, an attorney the environmental group. California is experiencing one of the worst droughts in history, with more than 800 million trees in the brink of death due to significant water loss.
Prabhala shared that the group finds comfort in the fact that Cadiz is yet to overcome another legal hurdle, as the pipeline project from Fenner Valley to the Colorado River Aqueduct is yet to receive a go signal from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
"We will now turn to demonstrating through all legal means that our proposed use of the ARZC railroad route for the project's pipeline is within the scope of the existing right of way," said Slater.
