Technical Review Panel Begins Work on Cadiz Water Project

Panel of independent scientists established to set baseline aquifer and watershed conditions in preparation for monitoring of project operations

Cadiz, Inc. announced this week that the Technical Review Panel (“TRP”) responsible for technical oversight and environmental monitoring of the Cadiz Water Conservation and Storage Project (“Project”) has been officially initiated by the County of San Bernardino and the Santa Margarita Water District (“SMWD”).

The TRP, which is comprised of three independent experts in hydrogeology, hydrology and sustainable groundwater management, is a key component of the Groundwater Management, Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (“GM3P”) established in 2012 in compliance with the County of San Bernardino’s Desert Groundwater Management Ordinance. The GM3P requires the TRP to be in place at least 12 months before the Project commences to establish baseline data on aquifer and watershed conditions for the monitoring program.

In accordance with the GM3P, San Bernardino County and SMWD each appoint one member to the TRP, and the third member is selected by unanimous agreement of those representatives. Nominees named to the TRP include:

• Will Halligan, PG – Senior Principal Hydrogeologist with Luhdorff & Scalmanini, an award-winning California-based groundwater consulting firm with more than 40 years of experience in state-of-the-art groundwater resources planning, protection and management.  Mr. Halligan will represent San Bernardino County on the TRP.
• David Jordan, PE, D.WRE – Vice President / Principal Hydrogeologist with Intera, a geosciences and engineering consulting firm and recognized expert in data analysis, quantitative hydrogeology, the application of geographic information systems (GIS) and innovative remote sensing-based techniques to evaluate land use and water-depletion.  Mr. Jordan will represent Santa Margarita Water District on the TRP.

“We are excited to begin this baseline data collection and work with the County of San Bernardino,” said Dan Ferons, General Manager of SMWD.  “We anticipate the TRP will be to fully staffed and operational before the end of the month.”

The state-of-the-art GM3P was designed by leading groundwater experts in consultation with San Bernardino County staff during the Project’s California Environmental Quality Act review and approval process and includes over 100 separate monitoring elements to ensure that the aquifer system’s  management is based on sound science with fully-transparent public review:

• 16 Observation wells
• 11 Cluster wells
• Up to 34 production wells
• 20 Land survey benchmarks
• 3 Springs observation and monitoring
• 5 Extensometers for land subsidence monitoring
• 5 Downhole flow meter surveys
• 6 Gamma-ray and dual induction logs at cluster wells to determine changing conditions.
• 4 nephelometers for dust monitoring
• Vegetation monitoring
• 4 Weather stations

Under the GM3P, data on groundwater levels, water quality, air quality, fugitive dust, vegetation and desert springs will be collected and analyzed for review and approval by the TRP with annual reports of the TRP submitted to and approved by the County.  The purpose of the monitoring program is to identify any potential adverse impacts in advance and to implement mitigation or preventative measures to avoid overdraft and protect critical resources before, during or after the post operational phases of the Project.