MOJAVE DESERT LAND TRUST FUNDED STUDY OF DESERT SPRINGS DEBUNKED BY 10 EXPERTS
2018 BONANZA SPRING STUDY EXPERT LIST
Study Authors
Dr. Miles Kenney: Professional Geologist (PG), former geology lecturer at San Diego State University, Ph.D. Geology (University of Oregon)
Terry Foreman: Professional Geologist (PG), Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG), M.S. Geology (University of Missouri, Columbia)
Site Visit
A panel of 10 geologists, hydrologists, hydrogeologists and engineers toured Bonanza Spring on December 13, 2017 with Miles Kenney, Ph.D. and Terry Foreman to observe physical conditions that support the study conclusions, including:
Dr. John M. Sharp, Jr.: Professional Geologist (PG), Professional Hydrogeologist (PHG), Professional Earth Scientist (PES), David P. Carlton Professor of Geology at the University of Texas at Austin, Representative to the International Association of Hydrogeologists, Ph.D. Hydrogeology (University of Illinois)
Tim Parker: Professional Geologist (PG), Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG), Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG), Director of the Groundwater Resources Association of California, Director of the National Groundwater Coalition, former senior engineering geologist at the California Department of Water Resources, B.S. Geology (University of California, Davis)
Dr. Dennis Williams: Professional Geologist (PG), Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG), Founder and President at GEOSCIENCE, Ph.D. Hydrology (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology)
Brian A. Villalobos: Professional Geologist (PG), Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG), Certified Engineering Geologist (CEG), Principal Geohydrologist at GEOSCIENCE, B.S. Geology (California State University, Los Angeles)
Mark Wildermuth: Professional Civil Engineer (PE), President of Wildermuth Environmental, Inc., M.S. Water Resources Engineering (University of California, Los Angeles)
Anthony Brown: Principal Hydrologist at Aquilogic, Inc., M.S. Engineering Hydrology (Imperial College London)
Dr. Charles G. “Chip” Groat: Professor at Louisiana State University, Acting Director of the Louisiana Geological Survey, former Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Ph.D. Geology (University of Texas at Austin)
Andrew Stone: Executive Director of the American Groundwater Trust, M.S. Hydrology/ Geology (University College, London)
Will Halligan: Professional Geologist (PG), Principal Hydrogeologist at Luhdorff & Scalmanini Consulting Engineers, M.S. Geoscience/Hydrogeology (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
Dr. Toby Moore: Professional Geologist (PG), Certified Hydrogeologist (CHG), Water Resources Manager and Chief Hydrogeologist for the Golden State Water Company, Vice President of the Southern Branch of the Groundwater Resources Association of California, Director of the California Groundwater Coalition, Ph.D. Geology (University of California, Los Angeles)
Bonanza Spring Kenney Presentation
Geologist Miles Kenney presents findings from an in-depth study of Bonanza Spring to a panel of his peers. Kenney found that the supply of water to the spring is hydrologically disconnected from the groundwater system for the Cadiz Valley. The spring is separated from the Cadiz Valley by 11 miles and 1,100 feet elevation and would be unaffected by a plan to capture water in Cadiz that would otherwise be lost to evaporation.
Bonanza Spring Miles Kenney
Dr. Miles Kenney is a field geologist who studied rock formations around Bonanza Spring in the eastern Mojave Desert for several months in 2017. His study shows that the spring is fed by rainfall at upper elevations and would not be affected by pumping at the Cadiz Water Project, 11 miles away.
Bonanza Spring Overall
Bonanza Spring exists because of geologic formations that act as a dam, trapping rain runoff from surrounding hillsides. The water eventually seeps through fractures in the rock and forms the spring.
Bonanza Spring Peer Review
Dr. Miles Kenney explains his findings to a fellow scientist who reviewed the study. The group supports Kenney’s conclusion that the spring could not be impacted by the regulated conservation of groundwater at Cadiz.
Bonanza Spring Rocks
The hillsides around Bonanza Spring are comprised of crystalline rock and other non-porous formations that essentially trap runoff from surrounding hillsides. The trapped water eventually seeps through fractures in the rocks to form the spring.
Cadiz Agriculture
The 70-square-mile Cadiz Ranch is the agricultural arm of Cadiz Inc. and is supported by plentiful underground water supplies. Careful management of groundwater resources has ensured the success of the farm, which grows lemons, grapes and other crops in the desert. The Cadiz Valley is 11 miles and an 1,100-foot drop in elevation from Bonanza Spring.