Desert Aqueduct

The Desert Aqueduct would bring State Water Project water directly to the Coachella Valley for the first time.The Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency have held State Water Project water service contracts for decades, receiving their supplies through an exchange with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The Desert Aqueduct Project is a planning study to explore the feasibility of constructing an aqueduct to physically connect the California Aqueduct to the Coachella Valley. This connection would deliver State Water Project water for direct recharge of the groundwater basin in the valley. GEI was selected to systematically inform the Project Partners during the decision-making process on whether to continue to invest time and money in further developing the project. Objectives are to identify the project partner’s needs and potential benefits, develop constructible project features at a reasonable cost, and manage environmental and socioeconomic effects on the area. The initial study findings produced four route alternatives which are currently under evaluation in Phase I of the project.