Jeannine @J9urban - Twitter Profile

The Trump administration revives a plan that could drain the Mojave Desert On July 9 the Bureau of Land Management issued a pipeline permit for the long running Cadiz groundwater project. This decision revives a proposal that has faced repeated delays due to environmental concerns. This is not the first attempt. During President Trumps first term the Bureau of Land Management approved a similar permit. A federal court later rejected it ruling that the government had not adequately assessed the potential effects on the Mojave Deserts groundwater. The Trump administration has now issued a new permit allowing the project to proceed once again. The enormous scale of the proposal has raised serious alarms among scientists Tribal leaders environmental organizations and California state officials. Opponents warn that Cadiz intends to pump groundwater from beneath the Mojave Desert at a rate 25 times faster than the aquifer can naturally recharge. This means water would be extracted much more quickly than rain and snow can replenish it. That groundwater sustains rare desert springs such as Bonanza Spring which is the largest water source within a 1000 square mile area. These springs support desert bighorn sheep tortoises birds native plants and many other species in one of the most arid regions of North America. The aquifer also lies beneath lands that hold deep cultural and spiritual importance for the Chemehuevi and Fort Mojave Tribes. Cadiz plans to extract the groundwater transport it via pipeline and sell it to communities in California and possibly other states. Critics contend that the water supply is neither renewable nor sustainable. Much of the groundwater dates back thousands of years. Once depleted it could take an extremely long time to recover if it recovers at all. Opponents further argue that the latest permit was granted without the comprehensive environmental review required to fully evaluate the projects potential effects on desert springs wildlife public lands and local communities.