CEQA Environmental Review

The Cadiz Valley Water Conservation Recovery and Storage Project must undergo an environmental review process consistent with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) before it can be constructed. This public review process is currently underway. The Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD), which is one of the six project participants, is acting as Lead Agency of this CEQA process.

In its role as Lead Agency, SMWD must prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to evaluate and understand any potential impact the Project may have on the environment. The EIR also provides monitoring and mitigation measures to ensure that the Project is implemented in a safe and sustainable manner.

The Draft EIR was released on December 5, 2011 for public review and comment. SMWD is accepting comments on the Draft EIR until March 14, 2012. To view a copy of the Draft EIR, click here.

Send comments or questions about the Draft EIR to:
Tom Barnes
Environmental Science Associates
626 Wilshire Boulevard, Ste. 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Email: cadizproject@esassoc.com
Telephone: 213-599-4300

More information on the CEQA process is also available on SMWD’s website at:
http://www.smwd.com/operations/the-cadiz-valley-project.html.

To learn more about the Project, click on the links below:

What People Are Saying

…We believe that the Cadiz Project can provide a sustainable new water supply in an environmentally responsible manner. We look forward to Suburban’s participation in the Project, which will offer additional reliability for our customers. — Mike Quinn, President of Suburban Water Systems

The Inland Empire’s recovery depends on jumpstarting the construction and manufacturing sectors which are our primary economic engines. The Project comes at a time when we need it most and presents a unique opportunity for the County to support local vendors and job creation. — Bob Van Valer, President of Roscoe Moss Company

Families in San Bernardino County have been hit hard by the weak economy, especially the lack of jobs in the construction industry, and we are excited by the opportunity to get people to work in good green jobs building this project. — Richard Sierra, Area Business Manager of the Laborers Int’l Union

The Cadiz Valley Project offers a new way to minimize variability in our annual supplies and improve reliability for our customers at a competitive cost. We look forward to participating in the next phase of this exciting Project. — Jane Anderson, Jurupa Community Services District

The Cadiz Project means additional reliability for our customers and businesses in Southern California. — Denise Kruger, Senior VP, Golden State Water Company

The Cadiz Project would bring exactly the kind of quality green jobs we need in our area, and support Fontana’s local manufacturers…the Cadiz Project offers a new opportunity to help the local economy bounce back. — Aquanetta Warren, Mayor, City of Fontana

I did not realize that the water situation was so great here (Cadiz ranch). It’s a well-thought-out operation. — Dan Mintz Sr., Councilman, City of Twentynine Palms

Either we get a lot of rain or we get no rain. What we need to do to get past the boom and bust cycle is develop a local supply resource like Cadiz. — John Schatz, General Manager, Santa Margarita Water District

The construction phase of the Cadiz Valley Water Project would create a cumulative total of nearly 6,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs over the four years of effort, to tap into San Bernardino County’s extensive labor supply, where the high desert unemployment was 16.4% in March 2011. It would also support local manufacturers of materials used in construction of wells, pipelines, and power generation, with a net local four year economic impact of $878 million. — Dr. John Husing, Inland Empire Economist

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