Bill reintroduced to subject the Cadiz water project to further review

By Jeff Horseman, The Press Enterprise

Legislation that could stymie a controversial project to pump groundwater from the Mojave Desert has been reintroduced in Sacramento.

State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside and Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale last week introduced SB 307, which seeks to ensure “that any future water transfers from groundwater basins underlying desert lands do not adversely affect the California desert’s natural or cultural resources,” according to a bill fact sheet.

“If we get this wrong we run the risk of destroying a precious national monument and fragile ecosystem,” Roth said in a news release. “We must proceed with the utmost caution.”

If passed, SB 307 could pose a major hurdle to the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project, a proposal by Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. and Southern California water agencies to pump 16 billion gallons of groundwater a year from connected Mojave Desert aquifers to sell for municipal and agricultural use.

Cadiz says the project will save groundwater that would otherwise be lost to evaporation for use by 400,000 people annually. Opponents argue the project would dry up water needed by desert plants and wildlife to survive.

Last year, a bill similar to SB 307 passed the Assembly, only to stall in the Senate Appropriations Committee after intense lobbying by project supporters – business and labor groups among them – and opponents, including environmentalists.

Cadiz also opposes the current bill. But since the last bill’s defeat, “we have engaged in a dialogue with Senator Roth to address his questions” about the project’s long-term sustainability, Cadiz said in a statement posted on the project website.

“We understand that Senator Roth intends to continue to engage with us and our opponents throughout the legislative session to ensure that the Project can be a part of the solution to California’s long-term water challenge, while also protecting state desert resources. We appreciate the Senator’s willingness to engage with us and welcome a continued dialogue with the Legislature and the bill’s proponents.”

The project got a boost from President Donald Trump’s administration in April 2017 with the removal of a finding that a pipeline to carry pumped-out water needed a right-of-way permit and environmental studies.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, a project opponent, issued a statement supporting SB 307.

“The Trump administration has rolled back key protections at the federal level, so we need the state legislature to step up and pass this critically important legislation to stop projects like Cadiz,” she said.

The National Parks Conservation Association also praised the bill.

“Senator Roth is answering the calls of communities, water agencies, tribes and conservation organizations by defending California desert water,” David Lamfrom, the association’s California desert director, said in a news release.

“Generations of people who live in the desert and love the desert have fought this harmful proposal, which endangers one of our country’s most unique, precious and important places.”

As a candidate, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who took office in January, said he opposed the project.