PC4EJ Opposes Cadiz Groundwater Project Threatening Community Water Security
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, CA — The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice (PC4EJ) is raising urgent concerns about the Cadiz groundwater extraction project, a private for-profit plan that would remove massive amounts of water from the Mojave Desert. This is water that communities, Tribal Nations, and local households depend on.
Cadiz proposes 50 years of groundwater pumping from an aquifer already stressed by drought. The volume they seek to extract equals the annual water needs of nearly 150,000 homes. Independent scientists and the U.S. Geological Survey have challenged Cadiz’s recharge estimates, warning the basin cannot safely sustain this level of extraction.
Local Tribal Nations, including the Chemehuevi and Fort Mojave Indian Tribes, have long opposed the project, citing threats to sacred springs and cultural resources. Overpumping in desert regions has repeatedly led to the loss of springs, declining air quality, and long-term public health impacts for nearby communities.
Cadiz is also pursuing a large-scale data center and a green hydrogen facility at Cadiz Ranch. These industrial operations require enormous amounts of water and energy while providing few local jobs. A 2024 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report found that U.S. data centers used 17 billion gallons of water for cooling in 2023, with usage expected to double or quadruple by 2028.
“Cadiz’s business model puts corporate profit ahead of the people who live here,” said PC4EJ. “Our communities already face some of the worst environmental burdens in the state. We cannot afford to lose more of our water to private extraction.”
PC4EJ urges state and federal leaders to reject the Cadiz project and protect the region’s groundwater for the communities and Tribal Nations who rely on it.
