The Cadiz Valley Groundwater Storage Project

The Cadiz Valley Groundwater Storage Project or “Dry-Year Supply Project” is a private venture (owned by Cadiz, Inc.) in the Mohave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. It is proposed to serve three functions: 1) store “surplus” water from the Colorado River during periods when water is available, 2) pump the stored water to users in dry years, and 3) possibly pump additional native groundwater.

The project is highly controversial for a variety of reasons. There are concerns about the construction of the pipeline, the availability of “surplus” Colorado River water, the apparent need to unsustainably pump native groundwater in order to make the project economically feasible, and the impacts on desert ecosystems and aquifers dependent on that same groundwater.

The project was halted over environmental and economic concerns in 2002, but has been recently revived. Because of the difficulty of finding information on the project, this page serves as a resource for some major public assessments and documents, including an economic analysis prepared by the Pacific Institute in 2001, the final draft environmental impact statement, and more.

Resources

Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Cadiz Groundwater Storage and Dry Supply Program

Economic Evaluation of the Cadiz Groundwater Storage and Dry Year Supply Project, Pacific Institute, 2001

Revised Comments: Cadiz Groundwater Storage Project, John Bredehoeft, The Hydrodynamics Group (PDF)

Press Release: Scientific and Economic Assessment of Cadiz Project Released, 2001

Letter of Inquiry by Senator Feinstein and Representatives Lewis and Calvert to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton on the Cadiz Groundwater Project