California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
Cadiz, Inc. announced that it has completed construction of three new groundwater wells at the Cadiz Ranch increasing the wellfield to 12 production wells with an annual capacity of 36,000 acre-feet of water per year (AFY). With the new wells online, the Cadiz Ranch wellfield will have sufficient capacity to deliver the full volume of the Company’s Northern Pipeline, or 25,000 AFY, and also continue to support current agricultural operations at the Cadiz Ranch.
“Our mission is to deliver clean, reliable and affordable water to people,” said Susan Kennedy, Executive Chair of Cadiz. “Our wellfield and infrastructure will provide both reliable new supply during extreme drought periods and underground storage during extreme wet periods.”
The Cadiz wellfield at the Ranch captures groundwater that would otherwise be lost to evaporation from the base of a significant Mojave Desert watershed for agricultural irrigation. The Cadiz Ranch farming operation follows a sustainable groundwater management plan that has been administered by the County of San Bernardino since 1993. In 2012, the County also approved permits for the Cadiz Water Conservation and Storage Project that authorizes conservation of 50,000 acre-feet per year for beneficial supply uses in communities in Southern California. The project also offers one million acre-feet of storage capacity for imported surplus water in wet years.
In late March, the Salton Sea Authority Board of Directors voted to approve a four-party contract with Cadiz, the Coachella Valley Water District (“CVWD”) and the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians securing 5,000 acre-feet per year of water supply from Cadiz to support restoration of the Salton Sea and health, safety, and economic development on Tribal lands and in disadvantaged communities in eastern Coachella Valley, once the Project pipelines are operational. In February, CVWD also approved the contract.
“Despite recent rains, the Colorado River system remains under pressure with long-term projections of shortage that will alter reliable deliveries to all of Southern California” said Scott Slater, Cadiz CEO. “We are happy to be able to contribute to solutions for communities affected by these systemic changes.”
