Permitting
Environmental review and permitting of the Mojave Groundwater Bank began in the 1980s with initial suitability studies of the land.
Permitting
Environmental review and permitting of the Mojave Groundwater Bank began in the 1980s with initial suitability studies of the land.
Environmental review and permitting of the Mojave Groundwater Bank began in the 1980s with initial studies of the suitability of the Cadiz Ranch, a large private landholding owned by Cadiz, Inc. for farming grains, fruits and vegetables in the Fenner Valley Watershed relying on underlying groundwater for irrigation. Since that time, extensive environmental review and permitting under local, state and federal laws and regulations has been conducted and supports a sustainable and reliable Mojave Groundwater Bank able to improve water supply reliability across the region.
Environmental Review Documents
2012 Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery, and Storage Project EIR (SCH# 2011031002)
Prepared by CEQA Lead Agency Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) and CEQA Responsible Agency San Bernardino County
Description:
The Final EIR provides comprehensive environmental analysis (2,937 page DEIR; 1,668 page FEIR) and public comment for the Cadiz Water Conservation, Recovery, and Storage Project, now renamed Mojave Groundwater Bank (“Water Project”), a proposal to provide long-term water supply by conserving water from evaporation at an annual average rate of 50,000 AFY and in a second phase imported storage of one million acre-feet. The Final EIR concluded that Water Project operations governed by a robust Groundwater Management, Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (GMMMP), enforced by San Bernardino County, would cause no significant impacts to environmental, cultural or biological resources. The findings of the FEIR’s analysis under CEQA and the adoption of the GMMMP were upheld in six state court cases, at both the trial and appellate levels, finding no evidence of significant environmental impacts, no flaws in the CEQA analysis, and requiring no further analysis.
(See Volume 1 for impacts analysis (CH 4.9 Hydrology, CH 4.5 Cultural Resources), Volume 5 Comment Letters, Volume 6Responses to Comments).
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2012 Groundwater Management, Monitoring, and Mitigation Plan of the Cadiz Valley Groundwater Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project (SCH# 2011031002)
Prepared by San Bernardino County & Santa Margarita Water District
Description:
eveloped as part of the FEIR, the GMMMP is based on a sustainable yield plan enforced by San Bernardino County that will govern operation of the Water Project. The GMMMP includes a plan to monitor resources, including aquifer health and biological and cultural resources in the project area and impose graduated mandatory measures to prevent and/or mitigate any adverse impacts to critical resources throughout the life the project. The County-enforced sustainable yield plan provides the most comprehensive monitoring and mitigation framework for groundwater management in California. The GMMMP includes more than 100 dedicated monitoring elements, with binding and enforceable adaptive management measures that include pre-operational baseline reporting, and real-time implementation of mitigation measures in response to changing conditions. This proactive approach ensures that water is conserved and managed sustainably while protecting the surrounding desert ecosystems.
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2014 – 2016 California Superior Court and Court of Appeal upholds EIR and GMMMP
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2019 Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery, and Storage Project Addendum to the 2012 Environmental Impact Report (FEIR Addendum No. 1) (SCH# 2011031002)
Prepared by Fenner Valley Water Authority
Description:
Fenner Valley Water Authority prepared an Addendum to the EIR that provides additional environmental analysis of biological, cultural resources in the project area including results of additional analysis of any potential impacts to desert springs. This additional analysis was conducted after certification of the 2012 EIR. The Addendum also provides impact analysis of project modifications including the addition of treatment facilities for removal of any naturally occurring minerals above threshold levels (iron, manganese, arsenic, hexavalent chromium), and changes to the Southern pipeline route. The Addendum concludes there would be no significant adverse impacts from these project changes and concludes there would be no adverse impacts to natural springs or any biological or cultural resources. The Addendum findings were not challenged in Court.
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Previous Approvals 1993-2003
1993 Cadiz Valley Agricultural Development EIR (SCH# 89020203)
Prepared by CEQA Lead Agency San Bernardino County
Description:
The County of San Bernardino approved a General Plan Amendment and Conditional Use Permit authorizing Cadiz to irrigate up to 9,600 acres for agriculture and the construction of worker housing, crop storage, and cooling facilities on adjacent Cadiz-owned lands. As a condition of the application approved in 1993, the County required a Groundwater Monitoring Plan (GWMP) which was approved in 1997. As required by the GWMP, Cadiz provides annual reports to the County that include water levels, extraction amounts, electric conductivity sample results, and observed subsidence due to ground water withdrawal. Agricultural operations have taken place in the 30+ years since the 1993 approval with no adverse environmental impacts and ongoing reporting to the County.
LINKS:
2002 Cadiz Groundwater Storage & Dry-Year Supply Program Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (BLM Case File No. CA-40467)
Prepared by CEQA Lead Agency Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and NEPA Lead Agency US Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Description:
A joint EIR/EIS evaluated the Cadiz Groundwater Storage and Dry-Year Supply Program that proposed to export up to 150,000 AFY groundwater from the aquifer system at Cadiz for transfer to MWD’s service area during dry years and import up to one million acre-feet for storage at Cadiz. After determining that the proposed action would not cause any significant environmental harm, the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) BLM issued a Record of Decision and approved a right-of-way for construction of a pipeline to the Colorado River Aqueduct.
LINKS:
Draft EIS-EIR (1999) / Supplemental EIS-EIR (2000) /