13 Jul LA Chamber Joins Growing Coalition in Support of Cadiz Water Project
Cadiz Inc. is pleased to announce that the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce has joined the growing coalition of individuals, businesses, chambers, labor and civic organizations in support of the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project – a public-private partnership that will add a new reliable water supply in Southern California for up to 400,000 people and increase local groundwater storage by conserving water presently lost to evaporation.
“The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce fully supports the Cadiz Water Project because it represents responsible development that balances environmental protection with infrastructure planning and job creation,” said Jessica Duboff, Vice President of Public Policy for the LA Chamber. “Southern California continues to face the harsh reality that our traditional water supplies will not be enough to meet the long-term demands of our prosperous population. This is complicated by frequent drought and climate change. The LA area and our entire region must remain a friendly and competitive place for business and families if we are to continue to thrive. A secure local water supply – made possible by the Cadiz Project and other approved strategies – is key to ensuring it can.”
“The L.A. Chamber is a key voice in the region on public policy, business, urban and economic issues and we are so grateful to have their support for the Cadiz Water Project,” said Scott Slater, CEO of Cadiz. “A reliable water supply is a key driver of the economy and necessary for a stable business climate. Maintaining reliable supplies is also critical to avoiding water rate spikes that typically accompany supply shortages. We look forward to working with the L.A. Chamber to make reliable water from Cadiz available for Southern California.”
About the Cadiz Water Project
The Cadiz Water Project is a public-private partnership with Santa Margarita Water District and other public water agencies that will conserve groundwater presently used for agriculture or lost to evaporation at the base of a vast desert watershed in eastern San Bernardino County and create a new water supply for up to 400,000 people a year in Southern California. In a second phase, the Project offers underground storage capacity where surplus water can be stored until needed in future dry and drought years. The Project is expected to create and support up to 6,000 jobs over two phases of construction and generate more than $6 billion in economic benefits for Southern California water ratepayers.
The Project will be constructed on private agricultural property owned by Cadiz Inc. and within existing, disturbed corridors to avoid impacts to the local environment. Project operations will be governed and continually monitored by a comprehensive groundwater management plan to be enforced locally by San Bernardino County. The Project successfully completed a robust review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in 2012, and the Project’s CEQA approvals and groundwater management plan were upheld and sustained by California’s Courts in 2016.
The Project now intends to secure access to the Southern California water transportation system via terms and conditions with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and will propose to deliver water that is equal or superior to the ambient water quality in the Colorado River Aqueduct. Total dissolved solids in the Cadiz water supply are already substantially lower than the water in the Colorado River Aqueduct. Other constituents already lower than State and Federal standards will be lowered furthered to ambient levels or removed entirely. The benefit of this water quality improvement to Southern California rate-payers has been estimated at well in excess of a $100 million dollars.
For a complete list of Cadiz Water Project supporters, visit www.cadizwaterproject.com/project-support.