A major water infrastructure project aimed at strengthening long-term water reliability in Southern California has cleared an important federal hurdle.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved a right-of-way grant that allows Cadiz, Inc. to move forward with converting its Northern Pipeline from a former natural gas line into a water conveyance system. The project is designed to transport groundwater from the Mojave Groundwater Bank to communities throughout the High Desert and Inland Empire.

The approval marks a significant step toward developing additional water resources for a region that continues to face growing demand and ongoing drought conditions.

Located beneath Cadiz Ranch in California’s eastern Mojave Desert, the Mojave Groundwater Bank sits within a watershed covering roughly 2,000 square miles. According to Cadiz, the underground aquifer contains an estimated 30 to 50 million acre-feet of naturally stored freshwater, making it one of the country’s largest known groundwater reserves.

Company officials say the project is intended to responsibly capture and deliver available groundwater while providing an additional source of water for Southern California communities.

Rather than constructing an entirely new pipeline corridor, the project will repurpose approximately 220 miles of existing underground steel pipeline that previously transported natural gas.

Cadiz acquired the pipeline in 2020 and has since worked through the regulatory process required to change its use from energy transportation to water delivery. The newly approved right-of-way authorizes the company to convert, operate, and maintain the pipeline across federally managed lands for an anticipated 50-year operational period.

Additional infrastructure, including pump stations and related facilities, will also be constructed as part of the project.

Once operational, the Northern Pipeline is expected to deliver up to 25,000 acre-feet of water annually, with the potential to increase capacity as future phases of the Mojave Groundwater Bank are developed.

Cadiz has already entered into long-term agreements with several public water agencies and investor-owned utilities to supply water through the pipeline. Company officials say those agreements, combined with the recent federal approval, position the project to move into the construction phase.

Work on the pipeline is anticipated to begin in 2026, with construction continuing into 2027.

As California continues to experience periods of prolonged drought and increasing pressure on existing water supplies, projects that diversify available water resources are becoming an important part of long-term planning.

Supporters of the Northern Pipeline believe the project will provide communities with another dependable water source while utilizing existing infrastructure to minimize new surface disturbance. Like many large-scale water projects, it will continue to be closely watched as construction progresses and operations move forward.

For additional information about the project, visit the Mojave Groundwater Bank website.