JUDGE DISMISSES ALL CADIZ WATER PROJECT LAWSUITS
The six remaining lawsuits challenging the approvals of the Cadiz Water Project were dismissed in a May 1, 2014 court ruling, allowing the project to move forward.
Following lengthy court hearings in January and February, Orange County Superior Court judge Gail Andler ruled that opponents had failed to prove the Cadiz project would violate state environmental laws.
Three lawsuits were dismissed or settled earlier, leaving only those brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and Tetra Technologies, a Texas-based oil an gas conglomerate that operates a strip mine near the Cadiz project site. Their challenges were largely procedural, not environmental, covering matters like the choice of lead agency and the sequence of approvals.
Here’s the Cadiz statement:
“We’re grateful for the thorough review by the trial court and the validation of the environmental review. We’re very excited to move ahead with the project implementation and bring another reliable source of water to Southern California.”
Next up for Cadiz: Formalizing agreements with additional water providers interested in participating in the project, moving ahead with project design and financing, and working with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to transport the water via the Colorado River Aqueduct.
When will Cadiz water start flowing our way, to meet the needs of Southern California water users? We should know in about two or three months, when Cadiz finalizes the project’s timeline.
As for the defeated environmentalists and strip-miners (strange bedfellows, no?), they have 60 days to decide whether to appeal Judge Andler’s decision.
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