For many sovereign tribal nations who call the desert home, water insecurity is a reality that shapes everyday life. For too long, the needs of tribal communities across the country have been overlooked in critical decisions regarding vital water resources, leaving many with unreliable water access. Tribes in the Pacific Southwest are now in a position to change that.
For the first time in history, Indian tribes have a seat at the table, and together with Cadiz, Inc., are creating what will be the first major water infrastructure project to be majority owned by tribes for the benefit of tribes, farmworker and other historically underserved communities.
The Mojave Groundwater Bank will utilize a large aquifer with 30-50 million acre-feet of water in storage, located at Cadiz in California’s Mojave Desert, to provide reliable and affordable water to communities that currently lack clean, secure water supplies. The aquifer is naturally recharged by 1,000 years of rain and snowmelt from surrounding high desert mountains. Water currently lost to evaporation will be captured, stored and redistributed to surrounding communities for generations to come.