How Cadiz Plans To Deliver Water Relief To Drought-Prone Communities

Cadiz, Inc. is actively developing the Mojave Groundwater Bank, a significant public-private partnership to capture and store surplus water in the closed Fenner Valley aquifer in California's eastern Mojave Desert. The excess surface flows this system gathers and stores underground during wet years will be used to combat droughts in Southern California and Southwestern communities as soon as 2027.

"In the early 1980s, a hydrologist… discovered the signs of a large aquifer under the Mojave Desert just outside of Cadiz, California," the company website reads. "In 1983, the existence of the aquifer was confirmed and Cadiz's mission began."

How the Storage Bank's System Will Work: Understanding the Process

The Mojave Groundwater Bank uses underground "saved" storage in order to reduce evaporation loss by 10-20% as compared to exposed reservoirs. Once completed, the system will include 2.5 million acre-feet (MAF) of water supply, 1 MAF of subsurface storage capacity, and 300 miles of conveyance pipelines interconnecting with California's existing water infrastructure. Through its system, Cadiz can also treat water to remove contaminants and will expand access to water in places that haven't had it.

Why Cadiz's Reservoir System Matters

Once completed, the Mojave Groundwater Bank could provide access to reliable water for several communities in Southern California and the Southwest. In California's  Inland Empire, Coachella Valley, Antelope Valley, and Hi-Desert areas, Cadiz believes that its reservoir system could benefit upwards of 400,000 people on an annual basis.

As the region's water infrastructure struggles to keep up, this added resource helps to mitigate volatility in an area of California with limited storage options. This innovative solution ensures a greater measure of adaptability moving forward, so that residents of the area can benefit.

Project Leadership, Timeline, and Scale

The Mojave Groundwater Bank project is currently being led by Susan Kennedy, who became CEO of Cadiz in January of 2024 and Chair of its Board of Directors in 2022. Having served as California Governor Schwarzenegger's chief of staff and a California Public Utilities PUC commissioner, her experience in government has been instrumental for Cadiz's mission. Today, she guides the company toward infrastructure innovation and delivering on the promise of the human right to water.

While Cadiz's project began back in 1983, much progress has been made in recent years. As of February 2025, Stantec was signed as the engineering lead of the $800 million project, and construction is set to begin later this year. Within just the next two years, Cadiz expects to make its first water delivery.

"We're proud of our long history of water conservation, strategic groundwater management, and delivering innovative private sector solutions," the company's website states. "Cadiz has been practicing cutting-edge conservation of land and water resources for 40 years, and we're proud [that this is] our mission."

Looking to the Future for Cadiz, Inc.

Cadiz's infrastructure model presents a means of limiting the volatility present in existing systems, as well as seasons with low precipitation levels. When the project is eventually completed, the surrounding community could benefit from the significant water supply established by the company's efforts. If Cadiz can prove this project's success, their approach could become a blueprint for drought resilience across the southwest and around the world.

Image Credit: Cadiz

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