Stantec, a global design and engineering firm, will oversee the $800 million Mojave Groundwater Bank project, which will extract water from an ancient aquifer beneath California’s Mojave Desert. This announcement was made by Cadiz, the water company behind the project, at the end of February. The groundwater bank will be a key resource for both California and Arizona.

Once completed, the project will be the largest new water infrastructure development in the Southwest, according to Cadiz, which is based in Los Angeles. The bank will provide 2.5 million acre-feet of new water supply, 1 million acre-feet of underground storage capacity, and a 350-mile pipeline network connecting the Colorado River to California’s aqueduct systems.

Stantec, based in Edmonton, Alberta, has been appointed as the owner’s engineer. The firm will assist in selecting the contractor under a construction manager at risk delivery model and will lead the engineering, procurement, and construction management for the project.

“Stantec has decades of experience working with utilities throughout California and the West,” said John Hanula, senior vice president at Stantec, in a statement. “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.”

Cadiz is collaborating with the Lytton Rancheria tribe of California to develop, own, and operate the groundwater bank. The project is set to be the first large-scale water infrastructure initiative on tribal lands in U.S. history, according to Cadiz.

The Lytton Rancheria tribe will invest $50 million in the project, which will be located at the base of a 2,000-square-mile watershed system. This location is about 40 miles north of the Colorado River Aqueduct and 220 miles east of the California State Water Project, which provides water to 27 million Californians and irrigates farmland across the state.

In early March, the project secured a $175 million pledge from a major investor—an unnamed publicly traded company with a focus on water infrastructure projects, as reported by Water Finance & Management.

Despite the financial backing, the project has faced significant opposition. Conservation groups argue that extracting water from the Mojave Desert aquifer could endanger natural springs and local wildlife. The Desert Sun, based in Palm Desert, California, highlighted that several state officials, including the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, have voiced strong opposition to the project.

Even with the objections, work on the Mojave Groundwater Bank is expected to begin in 2025, with water deliveries slated to start as early as 2026, according to Indian Gaming.

The Mojave Groundwater Bank is part of an ongoing effort to address the growing water demand in the Southwest, especially as climate change continues to disrupt traditional water sources. Proponents of the project argue that it offers a long-term solution to secure water for both California and Arizona, regions that are increasingly affected by drought and shifting water patterns. The extensive underground storage capacity and the large-scale pipeline system will help balance water needs across multiple sectors, from residential areas to agriculture.

However, the opposition remains vocal, with environmentalists stressing the potential ecological impact of depleting the Mojave Desert aquifer, which could have unforeseen consequences on the local ecosystem. The controversy over the project underscores the delicate balance between development and conservation in the face of a changing climate.

As stakeholders weigh in, the future of the Mojave Groundwater Bank remains uncertain, though its construction is moving forward with significant financial support and political backing.

Originally reported by Julie Strupp in Construction Dive.