Los Angeles, CA — Today Cadiz Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of a new report prepared by Southern California economic consulting firm Stratecon Inc. that comprehensively analyzes the probability of capacity in the Colorado River Aqueduct (CRA) to convey water made available by the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation Recovery & Storage Project (Cadiz Water Project) for beneficial use throughout Southern California. The report released today relies on the most conservative data available about CRA supplies to reach its conclusions, including a space available standard that is less than the design capacity and published capacity of the CRA. Using this conservative data, Stratecon concludes that CRA capacity will be readily available for Project water over its 50-year term and summarizes:“After taking into account the variability and complexity of uses of Metropolitan’s CRA, Stratecon further finds that any concern about the availability of CRA wheeling capacity for the Cadiz Project is misplaced. The risk is not material.”
The Cadiz Water Project will create a new water supply of 50,000 acre-feet of water per year by capturing and conserving groundwater that would otherwise be lost to evaporation and high-salinity in eastern San Bernardino County. The Project is a public–private partnership between Cadiz Inc. and the Santa Margarita Water District and will be carried out by public water providers across Southern California. Supplies from the Cadiz Water Project will be delivered to Project participants via the Colorado River Aqueduct, which is owned and operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). The CRA is one of two primary water transportation routes into Southern California and has a capacity of 1.25 million acre-feet. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimates that the CRA will transport approximately 861,000 acre-feet in 2015.
Project participants must secure conveyance terms from the MWD in order to receive Cadiz Water Project supplies. MWD staff is currently evaluating information about the Project and has not yet established recommended terms. Cadiz and its Project participants will comply with all terms and conditions assigned by MWD to the conveyance of Project water. To learn more about the Cadiz Water Project, visit: http://missionaguacadiz.com/water-project/
To view a copy of the CRA capacity study prepared by Stratecon, visit: www.stratwater.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Availability-of-Wheeling-Capacity-on-the-Colorado-River-Aqueduct-FINAL.pdf