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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 28, 2001

CONTACT:

Cynthia Coulter
Sr. VP, Corporate Communications &
Investor Relations
(310) 899-4700

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ISSUED FOR CADIZ PROGRAM

Santa Monica, CA -- Cadiz Inc., (Nasdaq: CLCI) today reported the issuance of the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR) for the Cadiz Groundwater Storage & Dry-Year Supply Program (Cadiz Program). The Final EIS/EIR was issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan), as lead agencies, and the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service, as official cooperating agencies.

The Final EIS/EIR represents the collaborative efforts of the issuing agencies and the County of San Bernardino and addresses the questions and concerns raised in comment letters received from the public in response to the draft and supplemental environmental documentation issued for the Cadiz Program. Issuance of the Final EIS/EIR is a significant milestone in the environmental review process as it represents the last step prior to final actions from BLM and Metropolitan. We anticipate final actions to be completed by year- end after which construction of the Cadiz Program facilities will commence.

The Cadiz Program, a public/private partnership between Cadiz and Metropolitan, will assist Metropolitan in maximizing the efficiency of its Colorado River Aqueduct and providing a reliable, high quality water supply for the 17 million Southern Californians it serves. The Cadiz Program is cited as a key component in California’s official plan to reduce its draw on the Colorado River. The 50-year partnership will store surplus Colorado River water supplies, up to one million acre-feet at any one time, beneath the Company’s agricultural landholdings in the Eastern Mojave Desert. During dry years, the stored Colorado River water and indigenous groundwater will be extracted, in accordance with the terms and conditions of a comprehensive Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan, and returned for use within Metropolitan’s service area.

Founded in 1983, Cadiz Inc., is a publicly held water resource management and agricultural firm. With its subsidiary, Sun World International, Inc., Cadiz is one of the largest vertically integrated agricultural companies in California. The Company owns significant landholdings with substantial water resources throughout California. Further information on the Company can be obtained by visiting its corporate web site at www.cadizinc.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including statements related to the future operating and financial performance of the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those reflected in the Company’s forward-looking statements include price and yield fluctuations in the agricultural operations, seasonality, timing and terms of various approvals required to complete the Program, and other factors and considerations detailed in the Company’s most recent Form 10-K, Form 10-Q and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

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