Scheme to pump water to L.A. could destroy the Mojave Desert

Photo: An endangered desert tortoise sits in the middle of an eastern Mojave Desert road near Ivanpah, California, on Sept. 3, 2008. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press)

Unlike some deserts, California’s Mojave Desert is full of life. There are tortoises and bighorn sheep, breathtaking wildflower blooms and Joshua trees. Many of the state’s plant and animal species can be found only there. It’s a unique and beautiful ecosystem, but also a fragile one.

Life in the Mojave is sustained by underground aquifers and springs, many of them formed over thousands of years. These aquifers support surrounding communities, including Native American tribes, and some 2,100 jobs in tourism, mining, ranching and other industries. A world-renowned travel destination, the Mojave generated more than $155 million in the tourism sector last year alone.

All of this could be lost unless California’s Legislature acts quickly to block the Cadiz water extraction project, a scheme that would drain vital aquifers in the Fenner, Bristol and Cadiz valleys — the heart of the Mojave. Cadiz Inc. wants to build a pipeline on a railroad right of way and pump groundwater from the Mojave to Los Angeles County and beyond. The company is proposing to drain 50,000 […]

Full article: The scheme to pump desert water to L.A. could destroy the Mojave. California’s Legislature needs to block it

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