Breaking News, February 12, 2026:

Mayor Travis Endicott will NOT be the City’s representative at the upcoming Mediation, due to a conflict of interest with the Navy. Mayor Endicott and Councilman Kyle Blades are both employees of the Naval Air Warfare Station at China Lake.

A special, closed meeting was held on Monday, and it was unanimously decided that Councilman Solomon Rajaratnam will be the City’s representative at the Mediation table. The Mediation process is scheduled to begin on February 18th.

The meeting video is less than 2 minutes long:

“One item was considered by the council and that pertains to water rights litigation. Due to Mayor’s employment with the Navy, the city was in the position where a different representative needs to be appointed for the mediation and the council unanimously appointed Councilmember Rajaratnam to represent the city in that process.” – City Attorney

This is a developing story. More information will follow and please see the two Posts below for more details, background and context.

February 11, 2026

Publisher’s Note: Not only will the AVEK imported water pipeline result in a substantial increase in your water bills, but it will also likely result in an additional assessment on your property tax bill.

The newly formed Indian Wells Valley Water Association, comprised of the Indian Wells Valley’s leading business and community leaders, has issued a press release on a proposed funding mechanism for a portion of the cost of the imported water pipeline called AVEK.

The cost estimate of the pipeline was commissioned by the Indian Wells Valley Water District and provided by Clean Energy Capital.

Below is the Water Association’s press release, our straight to the point commentary, and a downloadable .pdf file of the cost estimate for the GA’s imported water project.

The IWV Groundwater Authority is Spreading Bullshit Misinformation

The IWV Groundwater Authority anticipates that a portion of the estimated cost of the imported water project will be funded by the Water Resources Development Act. As the Water Association’s Press Release points out, “recent reports and conversations may give the impression that WRDA authorization means the pipeline will be largely or fully funded by federal dollars, that is not the case.“

The IWV Water Association is being diplomatic. Forgive us for pointing out the obvious, the GA is spreading misinformation, and we’ll call it BS and happy talk. Even if the GA were to be awarded a WRDA grant, and that is not a certainty, it would only cover a fraction of the cost of the pipeline and the imported water.

See the Press Release below for more information.

Clean Energy Capital

◼ Clean Energy Capital (“CEC”) is a municipal advisor specialized in water project financing.
◼ Over the past 15 years, we have developed multiple independent cost evaluations for water infrastructure projects in California.
◼ We have additionally supported the financing and implementation of water projects and have familiarity with the major forms of public, private, and capital markets financing.
◼ We are a registered Municipal Advisor with the SEC and the MSRB, and bear
a fiduciary obligation to our municipal clients.

Imported Water Pipeline Project (“AVEK”)

◼ The Indian Wells Valley Water District (the “District”) engaged CEC in 2024 to develop a cost estimate and cost scenarios for the proposed Imported Water Pipeline Project (the “Project”).
◼ The Project is a proposed conveyance facility (pipeline, pump stations, storage tanks, and appurtenant facilities) to convey treated water from an Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency (“AVEK”) pipeline in California City to a new Terminus Tank in the vicinity of Ridgecrest.
◼ The Project was originally identified in a Groundwater Sustainability Plan published by the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (the “GA”) in 2020.
◼ The Project is currently under development by the GA.͏   ͏ ‌ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

Questions continue to arise about the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) and what its inclusion of the proposed pipeline might mean for our community. Recent reports and conversations may give the impression that WRDA authorization means the pipeline will be largely or fully funded by federal dollars, that is not the case. The Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) allows water projects to be authorized by Congress, but that authorization does not guarantee the authorized amount of funding. Once a project is authorized in a WRDA bill, the project still needs to go through a separate appropriations process to fund the authorized project, up to the amount authorized.      Once authorized, a WRDA must compete nationally for limited federal dollars and often require a local sponsor to contribute matching funds. Funding is typically released in stages over several years, depending on project progress, approvals, and available funding.    For context, the cost of the proposed pipeline is estimated to be hundreds of millions of dollars. The WRDA authorization may open the door to $50 million in federal funding, but this amount is uncertain and covers only a modest portion of the total cost, and each $50 million would require $12.5 million in matching funds. Even with that support, the remaining expenses would still leave local residents paying millions per year, resulting in substantial increases to household water bills. To summarize, once a project is authorized in a WRDA bill, the project still needs to go through a separate appropriations process to fund the authorized project, up to the amount authorized.   As the IWV Water Association, it is our priority to provide the community with transparent, factual information so residents in the Indian Wells Valley can stay informed about how major water decisions may affect our community. Copyright (C) 2026 Indian Wells Valley Water Association. All rights reserved.

Cost Analysis: Proposed Imported Water Pipeline Project, June 10, 2024