Mission Viejo-based Santa Margarita Water District and San Bernardino County were sued by environmental groups over a Mojave Desert groundwater-pumping project.
Cadiz Inc. in Los Angeles wants to pump 16 billion gallons of water per year beneath its 45,000-acre property in the desert area to serve 400,000 people in six water districts. The project is estimated to cost between $225 million and $275 million.
The Santa Margarita Water District was the lead agency that approved the environmental impact of the project. It also agreed to buy 10% of the proposed water output.
The lawsuit by the Sierra Club San Gorgonio chapter, Center for Biological Diversity, National Parks Conservation Association and the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society contends San Bernardino County should have headed the project review.
—Jane Yu
