VICTORVILLE, Calif., July 18 (High Desert News Online) — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a federal right-of-way for Cadiz Inc. to convert an old buried pipeline corridor into a water line across the Mojave Desert, a decision that opens the door to a project the company says could move desert groundwater to Southern California communities for decades.
The approval covers use of federal land for the pipeline itself, not the full groundwater extraction plan behind it. That distinction is at the center of the fight: Cadiz says the project is a needed water supply, while environmental advocates and tribal leaders say it could pull too much water from a fragile desert basin and threaten springs and wildlife habitat.
What did the BLM approve?
The agency approved a 50-year right-of-way for the pipeline conversion, according to its decision record and Cadiz’s announcement. Cadiz said the approval lets construction begin on what it calls the Northern Pipeline, part of its Mojave Groundwater Bank project.
In company materials, Cadiz says the project is designed to carry water from the Fenner Basin aquifer in eastern San Bernardino County to communities in California. In coverage of the project, the proposed pipeline route has been described at different lengths, including about 160 miles, about 162 miles, and about 220 miles.
How much water is involved?
Cadiz has said the project could move as much as 25,000 acre-feet of water a year through the system, while also saying it plans to pump up to 50,000 acre-feet annually. Over 50 years, reporting on the project says Cadiz’s target is 1.25 million acre-feet of groundwater.
An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre of land with one foot of water — about 326,000 gallons.
Why is the approval controversial?
The BLM said its environmental review covered the pipeline conversion across federal land and did not extend to the groundwater pumping itself or its effects on the aquifer, springs and wildlife. The agency said that pumping would happen on private property and fall under state and local oversight, not BLM authority.
BLM also issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, meaning it decided a full environmental impact statement was not needed for the federal right-of-way action.
Critics argue that separating the pipeline from the pumping misses the bigger environmental question. Environmental advocates and Native tribes have said the project could damage desert springs and habitat in an already dry region. Earthjustice, which has fought the project in court, said a federal judge ruled that the pipeline should not have been approved.
What does Cadiz say?
Cadiz chief executive Susan Kennedy called the approval a “pivotal milestone” and said the project had reached the construction stage. In its release, the company said the pipeline approval makes the project “ready to begin construction.”
Cadiz has long argued that its groundwater project would provide a reliable new water source for California communities.
Why does this matter for the High Desert?
The Mojave Desert sits in a region where water supply is a constant fight, especially in drought-prone Southern California. That makes the project more than a local land-use dispute. It is also a fight over who controls desert groundwater, how much can be pumped without harming the environment, and what role federal agencies should play when the pumping itself is not on federal land.
What happens next?
The BLM approval removes one major federal obstacle, but it does not end the larger legal and regulatory battle around the groundwater project. The record reviewed for this report does not show that the separate pumping approval has been completed.
For now, the decision gives Cadiz a path forward on the pipeline piece. Opponents say the desert should not pay the price.
