VICTORVILLE, Calif., July 18 (High Desert News Online) — Federal officials have approved a 50-year right-of-way that lets Cadiz Inc. convert a buried former oil-and-gas pipeline into a water line across federal land in the Mojave Desert.
The decision is a major step for a project that Cadiz says could move water from a proposed groundwater bank in eastern San Bernardino County to communities in California. Reporting on the project says it could be used to move about 1.25 million acre-feet of groundwater over 50 years. An acre-foot is enough water to cover an acre of land one foot deep.
What did BLM approve?
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved a federal right-of-way, which is legal permission to use public land for a specific purpose. In this case, the agency approved the pipeline conversion across BLM-managed land in the Mojave Desert.
Cadiz says the approval clears the way for construction. The company called it a pivotal milestone.
What is the project supposed to do?
Cadiz describes the project as a way to move water from its proposed Mojave Groundwater Bank, also described in company materials as the Fenner Basin aquifer area, to California communities.
Reporting on the plan says the system is expected to be able to move about 25,000 acre-feet of water a year, while Cadiz says it plans to pump as much as 50,000 acre-feet annually.
What did BLM review?
BLM issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, or FONSI. That means the agency decided a full environmental impact statement was not needed.
In the review, BLM limited its analysis to the pipeline conversion itself. The agency said the separate groundwater pumping, and any effects on the aquifer, springs and wildlife, were outside the scope of its federal land review because that pumping would happen on private property and fall under state and local oversight.
That distinction is central to the fight over the project. Supporters say BLM had authority only over the federal land crossing. Opponents say the pipeline is inseparable from the pumping plan that would draw water from the desert.
Why do environmental groups and tribes oppose it?
Environmental advocates and Native tribes have said the project could threaten desert springs and wildlife habitat.
Earthjustice says it previously challenged an earlier pipeline approval in court and that a federal judge ruled the pipeline should not have been approved.
The group’s challenge is part of a longer legal history around Cadiz’s water plans. The current approval does not settle every question tied to the project, especially the separate groundwater-pumping issue.
Why does this matter in the High Desert?
The Mojave Desert and surrounding High Desert communities live with limited water supplies. That is why the project has attracted so much attention: supporters see a possible new water source, while critics see a plan that could pull too much water from a fragile desert system.
The debate is not about a single storm or short-term dry spell. It is about long-term groundwater use in a region where springs, wildlife habitat and local water supplies are closely connected.
What happens next?
Cadiz says the approval allows construction to begin.
But BLM’s decision covers only the federal right-of-way for the pipeline conversion. If the pumping plan moves forward, other permits and reviews may still be needed from state and local authorities, and the legal fight may continue.
