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TL:DRWater company Cadiz Inc. said that it has entered into an agreement with design and engineering firm Stantec Inc. to oversee development and
construction of the $800 million Mojave Groundwater Bank project in California's Mojave Desert.The water storage and supply project, which
will provide 2.5 million acre-feet of new water supply and one million acre-feet of underground storage capacity within California and Nevada, is moving forward under a partnership agreement with multiple Native American tribes, including the Lytton Rancheria of California, the company said.Cadiz said the project, which will see pipeline and capacity construction,
will span more than 350 miles between the Colorado River and California aqueducts. The finished project will not only be the largest such development in the Mojave but will also be the largest new water infrastructure project in the United States' Southwest region.The Mojave Groundwater Bank, Cadiz said, currently holds about 30 to 50 million acre-feet of groundwater in storage and is located at the base of a 2,000-square-mile watershed system about 40 miles north of the Colorado River Aqueduct, which runs more than 240 miles from the California-Arizona border to Riverside, California, and 220 miles east of California State Water Project facilities (SWP).
The SWP utility is a multipurpose water storage and delivery system that, according to the SWP, runs approximately 705 miles between Southern California and Northern California and provides clean water to about 27 individuals
As part of Stantec's scope of work, it will:
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Serve as the owner's engineer;
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Help in the selection of the contractor, which will deliver the
project via a construction management at risk (CMAR)model on an accelerated timeline; and -
Lead the engineering, procurement and construction management process.` "Stantec is unmatched in the engineering industry for its expertise in water supply infrastructure and has been our trusted partner for nearly 20 years. We are very pleased to select Stantec to oversee design, development and construction as we move into this critical phase in bringing the Mojave Groundwater Bank online," said Susan Kennedy, CEO and chair of Cadiz Inc.
As of Jan. 31, 2025, according to Cadiz, the plan was to build one 43-mile pipeline that will connect to the Colorado River Aqueduct and convert another 220-mile former natural gas pipeline to a water pipeline. The latter is pending approval.After completion, the bank
will deliver new water supplies to communities in the Mojave River Basin, the Colorado River Basin and California's Inland Empire , Cadiz said. In addition, the bank's ability to store up to one million acre-feet of additional supply will relieve pressure on other stressed water sources."Water supply variability resulting from climate change threatens long-term water security throughout the Western U.S., and the water delivery system must be updated and expanded to safely and reliably meet the needs of our communities," said John Hanula, senior vice president at Stantec.
"Stantec has decades of experience working with utilities throughout California and the West,” said Hanula. "We understand the complexities of bringing new infrastructure online, and we are honored to be part of the innovative Mojave Groundwater Bank that will set many firsts in our regional water infrastructure."
My Thoughts 💭
Massive water infrastructure project for the desert area. Good to see the state and tribes partnership on this massive water project. The contractor is taking significant price risk but if they deliver they can make a really good profit on this project.