Stantec Signs onto $800M Mojave Water Project

Design and engineering firm Stantec will oversee the $800 million Mojave Groundwater Bank project in California’s Mojave Desert, Cadiz announced in late February. The project will draw water from an ancient aquifer to supply California and Arizona.

Once completed, it will be the Southwest’s largest new water infrastructure project, providing 2.5 million acre-feet of water supply, 1 million acre-feet of underground storage, and a 350-mile pipeline network connecting the Colorado River to California’s aqueducts, according to Los Angeles-based Cadiz.

“Water supply variability resulting from climate change threatens long-term water security throughout the Western U.S., and the water delivery system must be updated and expanded to safely and reliably meet the needs of our communities,” said John Hanula, Stantec’s senior vice president.

Cadiz is partnering with the Lytton Rancheria tribe of California, marking the first major off-reservation water infrastructure project in U.S. history. The tribe will invest $50 million, with the project situated near a 2,000-square-mile watershed, 40 miles north of the Colorado River Aqueduct and 220 miles east of California’s State Water Project.

In March, the project secured a $175 million pledge from a lead investor, a publicly traded company specializing in water infrastructure, per Water Finance & Management.

Despite strong opposition from conservation groups and officials, including the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, construction is set to begin in 2025, with initial water deliveries expected as early as 2026, according to Indian Gaming.

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