Cadiz study

Dear Editor:

A matter of interest for those who care about conserving our local desert:

Last Monday, February 24, in a special meeting, our public-elected board of our local Three Valleys Municipal Water District, approved a study for Cadiz, a privately-owned company located on the public Mojave Trails National Monument, to study water-mining the Mojave aquifer to sell to LA, Orange and San Diego Counties.

Many of us thought that the matter was settled some seven months ago when Governor Newsom signed SB 307, prohibiting the removal of water from a groundwater basin (aquifer) underlying desert lands in the southeastern Mojave Desert, unless the State Lands Commission (in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department Water Resources), finds that removal of water will not adversely affect the natural or cultural resources of those desert lands.

At that time, we considered it an impossible bar to reach. We thought it extremely unlikely that Cadiz, Inc. would be able to prove that its project would not adversely affect the environment.

However, water in California is a hot-button issue. And Cadiz, now with Three Valleys approval, is pursuing its study with a goal to extract 16 billion gallons of water annually, for the next 50 years. This, in spite of the fact that two separate scientific journals in the last year published findings from hydrology experts that Cadiz has significantly overestimated the amount of water that would be replenished by rainwater to the aquifer it intended to tap. Additionally, five life-sustaining springs would be seriously jeopardized by this project because they are fed by this aquifer rather than by rainfall, as Cadiz has previously claimed.

The stakes are high here. President Trump’s appointee, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, was a Cadiz lobbyist and is presently a Cadiz shareholder. As soon as Bernhardt assumed his position on the cabinet, he began making decisions that would allow this project to move forward under federal law.

Those of you who know and revere the desert recognize it for the rare and fragile ecosystem that is home to countless species of rare and endangered animals, including big horn sheep, the desert tortoise and countless migratory birds. With snowmelt and rainfall diminishing, we see the need to preserve this ecosystem for our children, and our children’s children.

If you feel as strongly about this as we do, we urge you to submit comments to Three Valleys Municipal Water District. Board meetings are open to the public and are held on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 8 a.m., at the district’s headquarters, right here in Claremont at 1021 E. Miramar Ave.

Three Valleys will accept written comments at any time, and is the public agency that oversees water needs for our region including Claremont, Pomona, La Verne, Glendora, San Dimas, Azusa, Covina, Rowland Heights, Walnut, Diamond Bar. Claremont’s elected official is board member Brian Bowcock.

Pamela Casey Nagler

Steven Nagler

Claremont

Team Sugar

Dear Editor:

About six weeks ago we adopted a German Shepherd mix from the Rancho Cucamonga shelter. She was very scared and skittish, but we loved her nonetheless. 

Five days after we brought Sugar home she escaped. We searched and searched that night but could not find her. Soon after her disappearance we put up flyers and posted about her on social media sites.

Before we knew it, many people were looking for Sugar—rescuers offered help, game cameras were put in place, and a trap was set in a friend’s yard. Sugar was spotted on many occasions and we received numerous calls from people who had seen her. But she could not be captured.

We even learned that a search team had formed, calling themselves “Team Sugar.” Sugar was missing for 34 days. She was good at hiding, running and evading people.

For the short time Sugar was in Claremont, I believe she pulled this community together. While this story doesn’t have a happy ending—she was struck by a car and died on the 210 freeway—the beauty of how people pulled together was unmistakable.

There are some good people in Claremont and beyond! We want to thank all of you who helped us try to recapture this sweet dog for sharing with us your knowledge, resources, love and kindness.

The Singley Family

Claremont