Phoenix, Arizona – Today, the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, Inc. (ITAA) released a resolution strongly opposing the proposed Cadiz groundwater mining project, also known as the Mojave Groundwater Bank. Cadiz Inc. is a company with backing from foreign investors that has tried for decades to gain approval to extract and export groundwater from the California desert. Currently, Cadiz is attempting to sell the water to interests in Arizona, despite the State of Arizona’s Water Infrastructure Finance Authority vote in November 2025 to reject participation in the project.
ITAA is an association of 21 tribal governments in Arizona and provides a forum for tribal governments to advocate for national, regional and specific tribal concerns and to join in united action to address these concerns.
The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe and the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, whose Traditional Territories would be impacted, have opposed the Cadiz project for decades and have highlighted that the project would drain the aquifer that feeds sacred springs in the region. The National Congress of American Indians and the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations also oppose the project.
“The Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, Inc., strongly opposes Cadiz’s Mojave Groundwater Bank,” said Shan Lewis, President, Inter Tribal Association of Arizona and Vice-Chairman, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. “Cadiz Inc. intends to pump groundwater from the Traditional Territories of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, forever depleting water sources that are needed for culturally significant springs and threatening resources that are sacred to the Mojave.”
The resolution from ITAA also highlights that the State of California, federal agencies including the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service, and experts through peer-reviewed scientific research, have all warned of the significant and irreversible impacts that Cadiz’s Mojave Groundwater Bank could have on critical water sources, the environment, and surrounding communities.
“Cadiz Inc. is proposing to pump and drain at least 25 times more groundwater each year than the local aquifer can replenish,” continued Lewis. “Communities sold this water would be left with unreliable, unsustainable supply. This proposal is dangerous to American Desert Southwest and a threat to communities who need real water solutions.”
The Bureau of Land Management recently issued a pipeline permit for Cadiz without conducting a proper review of the project’s impacts, prompting a lawsuit by Tribal nations and organizations. The BLM approved a similar permit in 2020 but it was overturned by a federal court. Opposition to Cadiz’s proposed Mojave Groundwater Bank is widespread, including from Tribal nations and Tribal organizations, elected officials, conservation, and environmental justice organizations.
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About the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona: The Inter Tribal Association of Arizona (ITAA) was established in 1952, to provide a united voice for tribal governments located in the state of Arizona to address common issues of concern and the means for united action on matters that affect them collectively or individually. For more information, visit itaa-az.org.