In summary

Included in the president’s proposed infrastructure priority list is $250 million for the Cadiz water project in the Mojave Desert. The controversial project would pump groundwater from the Mojave Desert and deliver it via pipeline to Southern California customers. It has so far been blocked by the federal Bureau of Land Management. That might change.

The state’s years-long droughts has eased, with the latest measurements show that only 4 percent of California still experiencing severe drought—down from 82 percent a year ago. That takes the sting out of making tough decisions about who gets water when there’s more of it to go around. And as a result, the state may not need as much help from the federal government if water is flowing.

But the soggy state of the state today doesn’t mean that state officials to keep their hands in their pockets when it comes to seeking funding.

Included in President Trump’s proposed infrastructure priority list is $250 million for the Cadiz water project in the Mojave Desert—a project that would pipe water to a half-million customers in Southern California. The idea is opposed by conservationists who say aggressive pumping of groundwater would deplete the region’s already-tapped aquifers. It has so far been blocked by the federal Bureau of Land Management. That might change.`

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Julie Cart joined CalMatters as a projects and environment reporter in 2016 after a long career at the Los Angeles Times, where she held many positions: sportswriter, national correspondent and environment...