VICTORVILLE, Calif., July 18 (High Desert News Online) — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved a 50-year right-of-way for Cadiz Inc.’s Northern Pipeline, removing a major federal obstacle for a controversial water project in California’s High Desert.
The decision matters because the line would cross federal land in the Mojave Desert and could help move groundwater from a desert basin in eastern San Bernardino County to communities elsewhere in California. Opponents say the project would do more than move water: they warn it could drain desert springs and damage wildlife habitat.
What the BLM approved
The BLM approved conversion of a buried former oil-and-gas pipeline into a water line across federal land. Cadiz said the agency’s action lets construction begin. The agency also issued a Finding of No Significant Impact, meaning it decided a full environmental impact statement was not needed.
In a statement, Cadiz called the approval a “pivotal milestone.” The company said the project is now at the construction stage.
What the approval does, and does not, cover
The federal review focused on the pipeline route over BLM-managed land. It did not include the groundwater pumping itself or the effects that pumping could have on the aquifer, springs and wildlife.
BLM said the pumping would happen on private property and fall under state and local oversight, which the agency said was outside its authority. That split is at the heart of the fight: supporters see the pipeline as a transportation project, while critics say the pipeline and the pumping cannot be separated.
How much water is involved?
Cadiz says the system could move about 25,000 acre-feet of water a year. The company also says it plans to pump as much as 50,000 acre-feet annually.
Over 50 years, Cadiz says the project targets 1.25 million acre-feet of groundwater.
An acre-foot is a standard water measure. It equals enough water to cover one acre of land about a foot deep, or roughly 326,000 gallons.
Why critics are alarmed
Environmental advocates and Native tribes have said the project could threaten the desert’s natural springs and wildlife habitat. Earthjustice says it challenged a previous pipeline approval in court and that a federal judge ruled the pipeline should not have been approved.
Cadiz and its supporters argue the project would help create a new water supply for California communities and make use of an existing buried pipeline corridor.
Why this is still not the final word
The BLM action is a major step, but it is not the same as a final approval for every part of the water project. It covers the right-of-way for the pipeline across federal land, not a full decision on the groundwater pumping debate.
That is why the project remains controversial even after the BLM sign-off: one federal agency has cleared the pipeline path, while the deeper question of whether the desert aquifer should be pumped is still being fought over in public, regulatory and legal arenas.
