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SMWD Approves Cadiz Water Project

The Santa Margarita Water District Board of Directors voted tonight on three consecutive 5-0 votes to certify Final Environmental Impact Report and associated findings and agreements, approving the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery, and Storage Project.

The Board also approved the project’s Groundwater Management, Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (GMMMP) and its Purchase and Sale Agreement, which outlines terms for SMWD’s participation in the project.

The approvals are a major milestone in the project, which will bring a reliable, safe, new source of water to Southern California while protecting the desert environment. The vote came following a nearly 18-month environmental review and multiple public workshops and hearings.

“We are very grateful for the SMWD Board’s decision tonight and their leadership in this process,” said Scott Slater, President and General Council of Cadiz. “We also want to thank the South Orange County and Hi-Desert communities for their support and participation in public comment.

“As a longtime desert business, we are committed to the protection of desert resources and implementing a safe and sustainable project. We look forward to working with our neighbors as we enter the next phase of the Project and further develop our legacy commitments to the area, including land conservation easements, habitat protection and a steam train and cultural center.”

The Cadiz Project will provide water for approximately 100,000 Southern California homes by capturing and conserving groundwater that will otherwise be lost to evaporation from a vast aquifer system beneath its property in the Mojave Desert. In its first phase, the project will deliver up to an average of 50,000 acre-feet per year to Southern California water providers, including SMWD.

To safeguard the environment, the project includes an extensive monitoring and mitigation program that will be independently enforced by the County of San Bernardino and SMWD. All project facilities, including a wellfield and the conveyance pipeline, will be built on private land and avoid any habitat that has been found to be critical to desert species.

Cadiz will now work to complete arrangements with other project participants, finalize necessary permits in compliance with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California conditions and move ahead to the construction phase.

Strong Support

The Project has received substantial support from San Bernardino and Orange County organizations and businesses, as well as water experts and industry professionals. Organizations that testified in support of the Project at the July 25 public hearing included South Orange County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Coalition, Association of California Cities-Orange County, Orange County Taxpayers Association, Rancho Santa Margarita Chamber of Commerce, Rancho Cucamonga Chamber of Commerce and the Engineering Contractors Association.

As part of a local outreach campaign, over 2,100 South Orange County residents and SMWD customers signed cards expressing support for SMWD’s efforts to improve water supply reliability and evaluate the Project. Nearly 500 support cards from the Hi-Desert region of San Bernardino County, which is local to the Project area, were also received.

About Cadiz Inc.

Founded in 1983, Cadiz Inc. is a publicly-held renewable resources company that owns 70 square miles of property with significant water resources and clean energy potential in eastern San Bernardino County. It is engaged in the development of water supply and storage projects and operates an organic farm in the Cadiz Valley. In 2009 Cadiz adopted a wide-ranging “Green Compact” to implement environmental conservation and sustainable management practices at its properties. For more information about Cadiz, visit www.cadizinc.com.

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