Now that plans to pump underground water from deep in the Mojave Desert have survived a legal challenge, project developer Cadiz Inc. faces hurdles in delivering the water to customers around Southern California. A state appeals court on Tuesday, May 10, upheld six rulings in the company’s favor on various environmental and procedural challenges.

But Cadiz must now resolve two key issues before moving the $225 million project forward. It needs the federal Bureau of Land Management’s approval to use railroad right of way for a 43-mile pipeline that would carry the water to the Colorado River.