In the Mojave, a fight brews over an ancient aquifer holding trillions of gallons of water
Deep below the Mojave Desert is liquid gold — trillions of gallons of water in an underground aquifer stretching hundreds of square miles on either side of Interstate 40. It’s been there for thousands of years, but only a tiny bit of it is actually tapped and harvested. So it could be a way to ease some of California’s water woes. Private companies are trying to do just that, but they’re running into obstacles from conservationists who question the ethics of it, and Native tribes who have a spiritual connection to water in this region. … Cadiz, Inc. is leading the effort to tap the aquifer, and they’re creating one pipeline that will connect to the Colorado River, and another that will go through central valley communities that don’t currently have access to water. Meanwhile, they’re emphasizing that they’re a water storage company.