Compensated Awareness Post View
Disclaimer
Cadiz, Inc. (CDZI) Water Project Forges Ahead to Tap Water Resources for Southern California Drought Relief
It is with great hope that Southern California could see above-average rainfall in the winter months ahead, but it won’t be enough to overcome the drought that meteorologists are saying will likely continue or intensify in many parts of the state. Mike Halpert, acting director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, adds, “The drought has been so severe and so long-lasting that it’s going to take more than one year to get you back to normal.”
Cadiz works on behalf of its shareholders by operating as a land and water resource development company in the United States. The company focus is on the water resource, land and agricultural development activities in San Bernardino County. It owns 34,000 acres of land, including subsurface areas that involve unsaturated soils and additional water rights in the Cadiz and Fenner valleys. In addition, CDZI also owns 11,000 acres in the eastern Mojave Desert in eastern San Bernardino County. Additionally, the company is involved in the cultivation of lemons and grapes/raisins, and spring and fall plantings of vegetables on the Cadiz Valley properties.
As with nearly all activity involving our environment, there have been voices of opposition to the company’s current Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project. Amid challenges of this nature, Cadiz has established a track record affirming its mission objectives at the highest levels for being a company that acts in an environmentally benign and acceptable fashion since 1983.
Wes May, Executive Director, Engineering Contractors Association, has commented, “The Cadiz Project is a strong example of private investment for public good, and will bring a reliable local Southern California water supply to approximately 400,000 people in the region. Designed to minimize the building footprint and with no long-term impacts to the desert environment, this project represents sustainable design and a tangible and long lasting improvement to the local water supply.” Commenting further was Inland Empire Economist, Dr. John Husing. “The construction phase of the Cadiz Valley Water Project would create a cumulative total of nearly 6,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs over the four years of effort, to tap into San Bernardino County’s extensive labor supply, where the high desert unemployment was 16.4% in March 2011. It would also support local manufacturers of materials used in construction of wells, pipelines, and power generation, with a net local four year economic impact of $878 million.”
CDZI has been a part of the eastern Mojave Desert community for over 25 years and is proud of a track record that points to its commitment to protecting the desert environment. As part of this commitment, the company pledges to manage the aquifer systems beneath its properties in a sustainable manner, to conserve water, to explore solar power opportunities and to continue to use sustainable agricultural practices. CDZI’s innovative Cadiz Valley Water Project is dedicated to providing a new local solution to meet Southern California’s water needs, while also protecting the long-term safety of the desert. The company has pledged to be guided by a Green Compact, which commits to the permanent preservation of lands, dedication of a portion of the land for solar power development, stringent plans for sustainable groundwater management and habitat conservation, and the dedication of water to restoring endangered aquatic ecosystems in California and the Colorado River basin. The company’s vision is one of a green company that works as a partner with the environment while aspiring to be a model to other private sector companies in the renewable resources business.
For more information on the company, visit www.cadizinc.com
