SWCA was selected to provide cultural resource services in support of the Mojave Water Agency’s Mojave River Pipeline in San Bernardino County, California. This project involved the construction of two pipeline segments, extending the eastern end of an existing 72-mile pipeline that conveys water from the California Aqueduct to the lower basins of the Mojave River. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this project also included construction of a groundwater recharge basin at the terminus of the pipeline.

SWCA devised an innovative strategy for the avoidance of cultural resources during the project. The traditional method of erecting fencing around cultural resources is often associated with unwanted attention and vandalism; therefore, SWCA staff constricted the construction right-of-way (ROW) in areas adjacent to known cultural resources. This cost-effective strategy not only prevented the disturbance of cultural resources, but also saved the client time.