Water Resources

All of our landholdings are underlain by extensive, high-quality groundwater resources that are ideal for groundwater storage and water supply projects. We are currently pursuing the implementation of the Cadiz Water Conservation & Storage Project, an innovative and environmentally responsible program able to help meet Southern California's urgent need for new water supplies and additional water storage.

The Cadiz Water Conservation & Storage Project

The Cadiz Water Conservation and Storage Project is designed to provide Southern California with as much as 150,000 acre-feet of clean and reliable water during droughts, emergencies or other periods of need and up to one million acre-feet of underground storage. 150,000 acre-feet (49 billion gallons) is enough water to serve more than 1.2 million people for one year.

Project Details

  • The Project will utilize a portion of the aquifer system that underlies our 35,000-acre landholding in the Cadiz and Fenner valleys of eastern San Bernardino County and conserve indigenous groundwater that otherwise would be lost to evaporation.
     
  • This aquifer system can accommodate both withdrawl of indigenous groundwater and storage of imported water. Total storage capacity of the Project would be approxmately 1 million acre-feet.  This stored water and/or indigenous groundwater could be delivered to the nearby Colorado River Aqueduct in “dry” years – via a conveyance pipeline – for delivery to participating water providers throughout Southern California.
     
  • The aquifer system is naturally recharged by precipitation (rainfall and snow melt) that occurs within a regional watershed of 1,300 square miles.  For this reason, any water that is transferred to Southern California will be naturally replenished over time.
     
  • In September 2008, we executed a 99-year lease agreement with the Arizona and California Railroad Company (ARZC) to utilize a portion of the railroad’s existing right-of-way for the Project's water conveyance pipeline. The pipeline would connect the Project facilities at our Cadiz Valley property with the Colorado River Aqueduct.
     
  • In June 2009, we signed Letters of Intent with five Southern California water providers to develop a cost-sharing agreement, finalize terms of pricing, design and capital allocation and work towards implementation of the Project.
     
  • In February 2010, we released new details of a comprehensive year-long study measuring the vast scale and recharge rate of the Cadiz aquifer system. The study was conducted by internationally recognized environmental consulting firm CH2M Hill at the Project area utilizing new models produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in 2006 and 2008. CH2M Hill and additional hydrology experts that have peer-reviewed the work confirmed the aquifer system can sustainably support the Cadiz Project. To view a presentation given by CH2M Hill regarding its findings, click here: CH2M Hill Study PPT.
     
  • Construction of Project facilities would commence following completion of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review.


To request more information about the Project, click here.