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.
     
  • 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.