The U.S. Bureau of Land Management gave final approval to grant a Mineral Leasing Act right-of-way to water solutions provider Cadiz for the company’s Northern Pipeline, two years after the line was purchased from Kinder Morgan’s El Paso Natural Gas, Cadiz announced in a press release Dec. 15.

Cadiz, located in California, seeks to solve water supply issues through non-traditional means. In the case of the Northern Pipeline, the company will use infrastructure built to transport natural gas to move water instead.

Cadiz bought the 220-mile Northern Pipeline from EPNG in 2020. The line extends east from California’s center valley near Bakersfield to the Cadiz Ranch in San Bernardino County. Cadiz will use the line to pump groundwater to Cadiz projects in the Mojave Desert.

“The Northern Pipeline is the backbone of Cadiz’s clean water and clean energy projects,” Susan Kennedy, executive chair of Cadiz, said in the press release. “Repurposing existing fossil-fuel infrastructure to support clean water, green hydrogen and low-emission generation is the key to climate adaptation.”

The plan is opposed by environmentalists in the area. In 2022, a judge vacated the right-of-way permit, pending the review by the Bureau of Land Management completed on Dec. 15. Opponents argued that the removal of aquifer water would damage the natural resources around Joshua Tree National Park.