Cadiz Mojave Groundwater Bank Pipeline Approval Challenged by Native American Tribes

• The Bureau of Land Management approved the Northern Pipeline for use in the Mojave Groundwater Bank venture on July 10, 2026.
• Environmental groups and Native American tribes filed separate lawsuits on July 28, 2026, to vacate the approval, citing concerns over groundwater overdraft and desert ecosystem damage, and these lawsuits are currently ongoing.
• The Cadiz water project, now known as the Mojave Groundwater Bank, aims to extract 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater per year for 50 years from aquifers north of Joshua Tree National Park.

The resulting drawdown of the water table will cause many freshwater springs of critical importance to desert plants and animals to go dry.

The Bureau of Land Management's approval on July 10, 2026, of the Northern Pipeline has reignited controversy over the Cadiz water project, now known as the Mojave Groundwater Bank, a massive groundwater extraction scheme in the Mojave Desert. The pipeline, originally used for oil and gas transport, is now set to carry water from an underground aquifer to customers west of the desert along the California coast. This decision marks a reversal of the Biden administration's earlier withdrawal of permission for the pipeline's use across federal land. However, environmental groups and Native American tribes are not backing down, filing separate lawsuits on July 28, 2026, to vacate the approval, which are currently ongoing, and protect the fragile desert ecosystem.

The nonprofits leading the charge against the pipeline claim that its use for water extraction will lead to a catastrophic overdraft of the aquifer, causing many freshwater springs to dry up and desiccate desert lakebeds. This, in turn, would result in toxic air pollution from windswept sediments, echoing the devastating effects seen in the Owens Valley after large-scale water diversions to Los Angeles dried Owens Lake a century ago. The tribes and environmental groups also argue that the project's drawdown of the aquifer will seriously damage the groundwater-dependent ecosystem, including rare freshwater springs, seeps, and riparian areas.

The Cadiz water project, now known as the Mojave Groundwater Bank, has been a source of contention for years, with environmental groups fighting against its potential to overtax the surrounding environment. The project aims to extract roughly 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater every year for 50 years from aquifers north of Joshua Tree National Park. Despite previous setbacks, including a federal judge's vacating of a permit in 2018, Cadiz has persisted in pushing forward with its plans. Now, the renewed approval of the pipeline has sparked fresh outrage and calls for greater scrutiny of the project's environmental impact.

Lawyers and compliance officers should watch for potential environmental liability exposure for companies extracting groundwater in sensitive ecosystems, as well as the implications of this case on future permitting decisions by the Bureau of Land Management.

Source: Original reporting via CN