Cadiz Inc: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

Business Overview

We are a water solutions provider with a unique combination of land, water, pipeline and water filtration technology assets located in Southern California between major water systems serving population centers in the Southwestern United States. Our portfolio of assets includes 2.5 million acre-feet of water supply (permits complete), 220 miles of existing, buried pipeline, 1 million acre-feet of groundwater storage capacity, and versatile, scalable and cost-effective water filtration technology. We will provide products and services to public water systems, government agencies and commercial clients.

We own approximately 46,000 acres of land with high-quality, naturally recharging groundwater resources in Southern California’s Mojave Desert (“Cadiz Property”). Our land holdings with vested water rights were assembled by our founders in the early 1980s, relying on NASA imagery that identified a desert aquifer system at the base of a vast Southern California watershed. The aquifer system underlying our property in the Cadiz Valley (“Cadiz Ranch”) presently holds 17 - 34 million acre-feet of groundwater in storage – comparable in size to the largest reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead.

In 2008, we entered into a 99-year lease with the Arizona & California Railroad Company (“ARZC”) that will allow us to co-locate and construct a 43-mile water conveyance pipeline (“Southern Pipeline”) within an existing, active railroad right-of-way (“ROW”) that extends from the Cadiz Ranch to the Colorado River Aqueduct (“CRA”), one of Southern California’s primary sources of water supply.

In 2021, we completed the acquisition of a 30” steel natural gas pipeline (“Northern Pipeline”) that extends 220-miles from the Cadiz Ranch across Kern and San Bernardino Counties terminating in California’s Central Valley. The pipeline, originally constructed to transport fossil fuels, is idle, and we are preparing to convert the pipeline to transport water. The route of the Northern Pipeline intersects several water conveyance facilities that serve Southern California, including the California Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and the Mojave River Pipeline.

In 2022, we completed the acquisition of the assets of ATEC Systems, Inc., a producer of specialized filtration systems for removal of common groundwater contaminants that pose health risks in drinking water, including iron, manganese, arsenic, nitrates, Chromium 6 and other constituents of concern.

The Water Industry Value Chain

The water industry value chain today includes water supply, water storage, wastewater treatment, long-range conveyance, local distribution systems, and a wide range of products, technologies and services for monitoring, moving, trading, treating and integrating water resources across thousands of miles to address the challenges and demands of a diverse customer base. The water industry customer base includes regional wholesale water agencies responsible for acquiring, distributing and managing imported water resources; water and wastewater utilities that supply, treat and monitor clean water or transport, treat and analyze wastewater or storm water through an infrastructure network; government agencies responsible for public safety, environmental protection and economic security; and commercial and industrial customers requiring long-term, reliable supplies of clean, affordable water for their customers and businesses.

Climate change has disrupted hydrological cycles around the world. Extreme weather has created extreme unpredictability with regard to water supply for human consumption. Increasingly frequent and intense storms and swings between wet and dry years have created an urgent demand for technologies, services and infrastructure investment to capture, store and transport fresh water. Moreover, violent weather, extreme flooding and increasingly stringent regulatory restrictions on water quality have exceeded the capacity of existing water infrastructure and increased the cost of water over the last decade.

Water industry customers today require products, services, technology, and integrated solutions that address the challenges of scarcity of freshwater supplies, rising pollution, stricter regulations, infrastructure limitations and increasing operational costs.

Business Strategy

With the addition of pipeline infrastructure and water filtration technology to our portfolio of assets, our business now enables us to begin to offer integrated products and services to public water systems and other water industry customers in addition to products and services focused solely on water supply and water storage.

Description of Assets by Sector

Assets in our portfolio include Water Supply, Water Storage, Water Conveyance, Water Filtration Technology and Land. Each asset with an associated revenue model is described below.

Water Supply

In 2012, we received approvals from public agencies to implement the Cadiz Water Conservation & Storage Project (“Water Project”), a public-private partnership with California water agencies. The water supply element of our Water Project is expected to conserve 50,000 acre-feet per year at the Cadiz Property and make this new water supply available to underserved communities in Southern California. Because water in the aquifer system will continue to be lost to evaporation, surplus water that is captured and withdrawn before it evaporates is recognized as a new water supply (“conserved” water).

Under an extensive groundwater monitoring plan approved by local permitting authorities, Water Project operations and withdrawals of groundwater will be limited to sustainable amounts that preserve the health of the aquifer system and safeguard the desert ecosystem. An average of 50,000 acre-feet of water per year is expected to be captured and made available for beneficial use in Southern California communities over 50 years (2.5 million acre-feet in total), an amount of annual supply that could serve approximately 400,000 people each year.

In the first quarter of 2024, we entered into agreements with multiple public water systems to purchase 15,000 acre-feet per year (“AFY”) of annual water supply from us to be delivered via the Northern Pipeline. These agreements cumulatively represent 60% of the full capacity (25,000 AFY) of the Northern Pipeline.

The Water Project is structured as a public-private partnership in order for us and the participating public water agencies to cooperatively fund capital costs and operating and maintenance (“O&M”) costs required for us to deliver future contracted water supply to the agencies. In accordance with the structure of such agreements, it is anticipated that we will contribute an annual supply of 50,000 AFY of water from the Water Project into Fenner Gap Mutual Water Company ("FGMWC"), a mutual water company, to be owned jointly by the participating public water agencies. Through membership in the mutual water company, public water agencies will be able to purchase, for a 40-year term (take or pay), up to 50,000 AFY of water at our wellhead at an agreed upon market price estimated to start at approximately net $850/AFY to us and subject to annual inflation adjustment. Participating public water agencies will fund through FGMWC (a) capital costs for conversion of the Northern Pipeline from gas to water, construction of the Southern Pipeline, construction of pumping stations and appurtenant facilities, and (b) O&M costs.

Any contracts and off take facility construction will be subject to environmental review and a project level permitting process (see Item 1. “Description of Business - Permits”, below).

Water Storage

In addition to making available new water supply, the Water Project would also look to manage the groundwater basin to offer storage in our aquifer system for up to one-million acre-feet of fresh water that would be imported and held in storage until needed in future dry years. The total storage capacity of the aquifer system is larger than Southern California’s largest surface reservoir, Diamond Valley Lake, but unlike a surface reservoir would not suffer evaporative losses.

As part of the public-private partnership discussed above, participating water agencies would be eligible to purchase reserved storage capacity in the Cadiz aquifer at negotiated terms due to their participation in the Water Project. Such storage capacity could be used to store water purchases from the Cadiz water supply or could be used for imported water (once sufficient conveyance infrastructure is available).

Water Conveyance

Water conveyance facilities are required to effectuate the sale of water supply and water storage. These water conveyance facilities must be the appropriate size and in the right locations to meet customer needs. We have invested in physical pipeline assets and the acquisition of rights-of-way to build water conveyance facilities that can transport our own water supplies and also be utilized by public water systems across California to trade and transport water supplies.

To deliver conserved water off-property or import water for storage at the Cadiz Ranch, we are currently developing two potential pipeline routes for the Water Project; the Southern Pipeline which would extend southwards from the Cadiz Property to the Colorado River Aqueduct in Rice, California and the Northern Pipeline which extends northwards from the Cadiz Property to Barstow, Antelope Valley, and Wheeler Ridge, California.

Cadiz’ Northern Pipeline is an existing 220-mile 30-inch steel pipeline that intersects several water storage and conveyance facilities in Southern California, including the California Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and the Mojave River Pipeline. The capacity of the Northern Pipeline for water conveyance is 25,000 AFY. The capacity of the Southern Pipeline, which is expected to be constructed within the ARZC ROW, ranges from 75,000 AFY to 150,000 AFY depending on the pipeline diameter, ranging from 54” to 84”, that will be selected to accommodate imported water storage. When the Northern Pipeline becomes operational for water conveyance, and the Southern Pipeline is built, the Water Project would interconnect Southern California’s primary water delivery systems for the first time, enabling more flexible trading among participants on these systems. See also “Permits”, below, for details about the history and future requirements for local, state and federal permits for these pipelines.

It is anticipated that conveyance facilities will be owned and operated by participating public agencies through Fenner Valley Water Authority, a Joint Powers Authority (“FVWA” or “JPA”) comprised of public water agencies participating in the Water Project that would operate the pipelines to deliver water to point of use. We will lease our pipeline facilities to the JPA for operation of the Water Project through a Facilities Operation Agreement. Participating public agencies may apply for grants and use municipal financing resources to fund the capital expenses for conversion of the pipeline and construction of pumping stations and distribution facilities. The amortized cost of capital for construction of conveyance facilities is expected to be paid for by participating agencies taking delivery of water via those facilities as described above. Lease payments to us for pipeline facilities will be included in the price for water supply. The chart below provides the anticipated structure of how the financing and operations of the Water Project would be handled between us and the participating public agencies through FGMWC and FVWA.

Water Filtration Technology

In the fourth quarter of 2022, we completed the acquisition of the assets of ATEC Systems, Inc. into ATEC Water Systems, LLC (“ATEC”), which provides innovative water filtration solutions for impaired or contaminated groundwater sources. Adding the ATEC filtration products to our business portfolio diversifies our range of innovative, sustainable clean water solutions offered in support of our mission to provide safe, affordable drinking water to underserved communities. ATEC, based in Hollister, California, has produced water filtration systems since 1982. It pioneered technology to provide cost-effective high-rate removal of iron and manganese and then expanded its reach to a full range of contaminants, including, arsenic, Chromium-6, nitrates, and other contaminants found in groundwater that limit the available supply of drinking water for many communities. We submitted a patent application for our treatment process of nitrate removal in 2023 and expect to file an application for another constituent during 2024.

We manufacture and sell an array of small, modular vertical steel tanks ranging from 14-inch to 48-inch diameter coupled with filter media to remove groundwater contaminants for our customers. ATEC’s modular, vertical tank systems can be scaled in size to serve small, rural communities as well as larger municipalities with system treatment capacities up to 60 million gallons per day (MGD) and require less maintenance and upkeep than traditional filtration systems. Our customers include municipalities, public and private utilities, and engineering and construction firms constructing new plants.

ATEC has built more than 450 water filtration systems for cities, water districts, investor-owned utilities and small communities and businesses in 10 U.S. states, as well as Canada and Sri Lanka. In March 2023, ATEC was awarded a $10 million contract to build filtration systems to remove iron and manganese from groundwater supply for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District’s Vineyard Wellfield Groundwater Polishing Project, a treatment facility that will deliver 60 MGD or approximately 54,000 acre-feet of groundwater per year to central Utah communities. The 320 48-inch filters to be delivered under this contract are expected to be completed in 2024.

In 2023, ATEC installed 10 small-scale filtration systems on community wells located on tribal lands in eastern Coachella Valley through a partnership with the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe (“TMDCI”) and the Farmworker Institute of Education and Leadership Development (“FIELD”). The 14-inch ATEC systems installed on tribal lands are designed to remove arsenic from community wells used for drinking water.

Land

We have 46,000 acres of landholdings including:

• 9,600 acres of land permitted for agriculture.
• 9,600 acres of land adjacent to the existing permit area that could be used for future agricultural development, but is not yet permitted.
• 26,800 acres of rangeland some of which is considered sensitive habitat for Desert Tortoise and other wildlife.

We developed the land for our agricultural use and have farmed ourselves and extended leases to private farming operations since the 1980s. We maintain approximately 1,000 acres in current agriculture development of grain crops, primarily in alfalfa plantings, and have 2,100 acres leased for farming activities by Fenner Valley Farms LLC. Revenue from alfalfa totaled $0.8 million in 2023 and revenue from leased land totaled $0.4 million.

Permits

Water Supply and Storage Project

From 2010 – 2012, the Water Project completed a California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) review process including the completion of a comprehensive Final Environmental Impact Report (“FEIR”). The FEIR concluded that Water Project operations, including the conservation of 2.5 million acre-feet of water from the aquifer system over a 50-year period (50,000 AFY for 50 years) would not cause any significant adverse environmental impacts. The FEIR was certified on July 31, 2012, by Santa Margarita Water District (“SMWD”), the lead participating water agency.

San Bernardino County, the local agency responsible for groundwater use at the Cadiz Property, approved the Groundwater Monitoring, Management and Mitigation Plan (‘GMMMP”) for the Water Project in 2012, and requires regular reporting of groundwater levels and conditions. The FEIR and GMMMP permits were challenged through litigation and were upheld and sustained in their entirety by judgements in California Superior Court in 2014 and the California Court of Appeal in 2016 and are no longer subject to legal challenge.

In August 2019, an Addendum to the FEIR was adopted by FVWA to address updates to the Water Project proposal, such as its water treatment program and pipeline route. The Addendum also assessed new studies published about natural springs in the Water Project watershed. The Addendum concluded that there are no significant adverse impacts associated with the minor changes to the Water Project and further summarized that the spring studies did not change the conclusions of the FEIR’s analysis. The Addendum was not challenged in court and the statute of limitations to challenge has expired.

Hydrological and geological study of the area has continued, and we regularly monitor and report groundwater conditions to the County of San Bernardino as part of our agricultural use. In 2023, the County of San Bernardino and SMWD, approved their oversight roles in an inter-agency Technical Review Panel (“TRP”) mandated by the GMMMP approvals to provide scientific and environmental monitoring of the Water Project. The GMMMP requires the TRP to be in place at least 12 months before the Water Project commences to establish baseline data on aquifer and watershed conditions for the monitoring program. In accordance with the GMMMP, the County and SMWD each appointed one member to the TRP, and the third member was selected by unanimous agreement of those representatives. The TRP started in 2022 and meets regularly to collect and assess pre-operational data and make recommendations for monitoring protocols to be implemented upon commencement of operations.

Northern Pipeline

The 220-mile Northern Pipeline is a former segment of a 1,200 mile, 30” steel pipeline constructed in 1985 by All American Pipeline Company to convey oil. In 2001, the pipeline was acquired by El Paso Natural Gas (“EPNG”) and authorized for natural gas conveyance. In 2011, we reserved the segment in an option agreement with EPNG and began to explore using the pipeline for water conveyance. In June 2021, we completed the acquisition of the pipeline for $19 million and own the entire 220-mile asset in fee. Changing the use of the Northern Pipeline to water conveyance is subject to applicable local, state and federal laws.

In December 2020, US Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) granted to our subsidiary Cadiz Real Estate LLC two ROW permits to use the pipeline over federal lands. The first ROW was an assignment of a portion of an existing ROW held by EPNG and renewed by BLM under the Mineral Leasing Act (“MLA”) that enables the continued maintenance of the route and transportation of natural gas. The second ROW was issued under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (“FLPMA”) and authorizes the conveyance of water in the pipeline over BLM-managed lands. In 2021, the two ROW grants were challenged in federal court by conservation organizations. In December 2021, the Biden Administration requested a voluntary remand of the permits to BLM, which was granted by the federal court in September 2022. In December 2022, we re-filed an application with the BLM for an assignment of the existing MLA ROW and worked cooperatively with BLM in preparing the new application. In December 2023, after a public review process, the BLM reissued the MLA ROW grant to us followed by an appeal period during which no appeals were filed.

The Northern Pipeline offers California water purveyors an opportunity to connect available supplies with rural areas of the State that are underserved. The Northern Pipeline crosses critically dry, rural and underserved regions of California and it could directly augment water supply access for 23 state-designated disadvantaged communities along its route. We presently hold agreements with parties interested in using the Northern Pipeline for conveyance, storage and supply to serve these disadvantaged communities. We expect to file an application with the BLM for a new FLPMA ROW in 2024 in coordination with public agency parties that will use the pipeline for water conveyance.

Southern Pipeline

In 2008, we entered into a 99-year lease agreement with the ARZC to utilize a portion of its existing ROW southwest from the Cadiz Property to the Colorado River Aqueduct for a conveyance pipeline and related facilities. As part of the lease arrangement, we agreed to provide necessary railroad improvements in furtherance of railroad purposes. This includes providing water and power to the railroad for fire protection and improving access roads and transloading operations, among other things. By co-locating the conveyance pipeline within this existing railroad ROW, Water Project construction would avoid impacts to desert habitats. The route and construction within the railroad ROW were evaluated and approved during the Water Project’s CEQA permitting process in 2012.

Our proposed co-location in the ROW was also separately assessed by the BLM to determine the need for any federal permitting related to the proposed use of the ARZC railroad ROW, which is a federal ROW originally granted to the railroad in accordance with the General Railroad Right-of-Way Act of 1875 (“1875 Act”). BLM’s evaluation, which was issued in February 2020, concluded that the proposed Southern Pipeline will further railroad purposes at least in part, is within the scope of the ROW, and requires no additional BLM approvals. In February 2022, the US Department of the Interior’s Solicitor Office issued a new legal opinion regarding third party use of 1875 Act ROWs that preserved the railroad purposes assessment for third party uses. The opinion was not specific to any railroad and did not alter our 2020 evaluation.

To deliver water from the Southern Pipeline to any point of use, the operating parties will require (i) an agreement with Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (“MWD”) to move water supplies from the Water Project in the CRA; and (ii) a finding by the California State Lands Commission (“SLC”) that conveying water from the Water Project in the CRA will not adversely affect the desert environment.

California Water Code Section 1815 requires desert groundwater projects to apply for a review by the SLC prior to moving water in facilities like the CRA. We expect an application to the SLC for review of the Water Project’s plans to convey water in the CRA from the Cadiz Property through the Southern Pipeline will be submitted by participating public agencies and accompanied by evidence of the Water Project’s extensive record of environmental sustainability as well as data and reports that we expect will withstand critical scrutiny.

Equity, Sustainability and Environmental Justice

Environmental Conservation

In 2014, we permanently dedicated approximately 7,400 acres of our Piute Valley properties to conservation. These properties, which are not associated with the Water Project or Cadiz Ranch agricultural operations, are located within terrain designated by the federal government as Critical Desert Tortoise Habitat and/or Desert Wilderness Areas. In February 2015, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife approved our establishment of the Fenner Valley Desert Tortoise Conservation Bank (“Fenner Bank”), a land conservation bank that makes available these properties for mitigation of impacts to tortoise and other sensitive species that would be caused by any development across the Southern California desert. Under its enabling documents, the Fenner Bank offers credits that can be acquired by entities that must mitigate or offset impacts linked to planned development. For example, this bank can service the mitigation requirements of renewable energy, military, residential and commercial development projects being considered throughout the Mojave Desert. Credits sold by the Fenner Bank are dedicated to funding the permanent preservation of the land by the San Diego Habitat Conservancy and research by San Diego Zoo Global into desert tortoise health and species protection.

In January 2023, we entered into an agreement with the TMDCI and the Farmworkers Institute of Education & Leadership Development (“FIELD”), to form a joint venture partnership to develop 11,000-acres of Cadiz-owned properties not in the Cadiz Valley (see Item 2. “Properties”, below), including the lands approved in the Fenner Bank. The joint venture envisions developing the property for conservation easements and sustainably managing the groundwater basins to make surplus groundwater available for beneficial uses, including farming, housing, and economic development in less fortunate communities. Subject to conditions precedent, including the construction of the Southern Pipeline, water and proceeds from the project will be shared equally among the parties.

The joint venture follows an agreement that we entered into with FIELD in September 2022 to create a state-of-the-art Innovation Campus at the Cadiz Ranch to offer work-based training, education and business opportunities for farmworkers. FIELD launched an English as a Second Language program at the Cadiz Ranch for ranch staff in Fall 2022, led by FIELD’s EPIC de Cesar Chavez High School Career Technical Education (CTE) program.

Social Impact

Our vision is a world where wealth and geography do not dictate access to clean, fresh, affordable water. It is available to all and delivered sustainably for generations to come.

1. Water for disadvantaged communities. We have committed to donate clean affordable water supply to disadvantaged communities. To date, we have committed more than 200,000 AF in water supply to serve disadvantaged communities in the Coachella Valley and California’s High Desert communities. Additionally, all public agency participants with agreements to contract for water from the Water Project must serve at least one disadvantaged community within their service area.

2. Improve local water quality. The introduction of our low TDS groundwater to groundwater basins in the High Desert area of San Bernardino County or the CRA, which are known to be high in TDS, could provide water quality benefits that may reduce treatment costs for public water systems in Southern California.

3. Repurposing carbon contributing assets. The use of the Northern Pipeline for water conveyance will convert a former oil and gas pipeline for the beneficial use of water conveyance. The recycling of an existing pipeline will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the energy load on the state’s current water transportation sources.

5. Farmworker training. The Cadiz Ranch has a 35-year history of sustainable agriculture and best practices irrigation technologies. We offer farmworker training, partnerships with local high schools and colleges for irrigation and groundwater management training, and business and language education programs at no cost.

6. Protection of habitats. All Water Project facilities will be built on private lands, disturbed public lands or within existing transportation corridors to avoid any impacts on habitats. We have dedicated portions of our Mojave Desert properties within protected areas and habitats to permanent conservation.

7. Support stable water rates. The addition of new reliable supply, groundwater storage, improved water quality and system efficiency should support lower water rates in the service area of water agency participants. Reliability is associated with more stable rates and lower costs.

8. Create and support good-paying jobs. The Water Project is expected to create and support nearly 6,000 jobs across the local economy during two phases of construction; 10% of jobs are reserved for veterans. We maintain a Project Labor Agreement with building trades and labor unions to employ their members during construction of Water Project facilities.

Seasonality

Our water resource development and water filtration activities are not seasonal in nature.

Farming operations at the Cadiz Ranch include the year-round cultivation of grain crops, including alfalfa. These operations are subject to general seasonal trends that are characteristic of the agricultural industry.

Competition

We face competition in the acquisition, development and sale of water and land assets from a variety of parties. We also experience competition in the market for our water supply, storage and conveyance solutions and agriculture products associated with our water and land assets. Since California has scarce water resources and an increasing demand for available water, we believe that location, price and reliability of delivery are the principal competitive factors affecting agriculture and the demand for water supply, storage and conveyance in California. We believe our projects are competitive with other sources of water and farmland.

In the water filtration market, we compete with companies that offer products similar to ours. Some of these companies have greater financial resources, operational experience, and technical capabilities than we do. When bidding for water filtration projects, however, our current experience suggests that the market opportunity is very large, our products and services are highly competitively, and there is no clear dominant or preferred competitor in the markets in which we compete.

Human Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2023, we employed 18 full-time employees (i.e. those individuals working more than 1,000 hours per year) including 8 full-time employees at ATEC. Our business operations also rely on third-party contracted seasonal and temporary workers, as well as consultants and other professional vendors to help augment specialized human capital and talent needs. Our full-time and third-party contracted workers, as well as consultants and vendors, must follow our code of conduct and ethics policy, as well as our whistleblower and information security policies.

We appreciate the importance of retention, growth and development of our employees. The average tenure of our full-time employees is approximately 10 years, reflecting our positive work environment that offers opportunities to develop new skills and advance to new positions. We believe we offer competitive compensation (including salary, incentive bonus, and equity) and benefits packages to our employees, including a 401(k) plan. Further, we urge professional development opportunities and mentorship to cultivate talent throughout the Company.

As a small workforce, we focus on skill sharing and experience diversity in the workplace. Our full-time employees have regular opportunities to work with senior leadership and/or Board members in pursuit of business objectives. Management and Board leadership provide annual reviews of employee performance. Human capital is generally managed by our CEO and CFO, and employment policies are overseen by the Board, particularly the Compensation Committee. Our Board encourages diversity in the workforce. Approximately 65% of our senior executives are female.

We are focused on both executing a strategy to support progress and evaluating our diversity and inclusion strengths and opportunities to ensure our workforce reflects the communities in which we operate.

Regulation

Our operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations, as detailed throughout Item 1. In the normal course of developing our land, water and infrastructure assets, we are required to demonstrate to various regulatory authorities that we are in compliance with the laws, regulations and policies enforced by such authorities. Groundwater use and development, and the import and export of groundwater and surface supplies by public water agencies via conveyance pipelines, is subject to regulation by local, state and federal existing statutes pertaining to water supply and land use, but also general environmental statutes applicable to all forms of development. Agricultural operations are also generally subject to regulation by local agencies, such as county governments, as well as state environmental and water statutes. For example, we must obtain a variety of approvals and permits from state and federal governments with respect to assessment of environmental impact, particularly given the location of our assets in the California desert and in proximity to public lands. Because of the discretionary nature of these approvals, any concerns raised by governmental officials, public interest groups and/or other interested parties during both the development and/or approval process may impact our ability to develop our assets in the manner we believe would fulfill their highest and best use. The realization of income from our assets could be delayed, reduced or eliminated based on regulatory restrictions and/or processes.

Our water filtration products are manufactured to the specifications of our water provider customers in coordination with state and federal water quality and treatment regulatory approvals obtained by these providers in the ordinary course of permitting water treatment or groundwater well and pumping facilities. We are not directly impacted by these regulations.

Access to Our Information

Our annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and are available free of charge on the internet through our website, http://www.cadizinc.com, as soon as reasonably practical after electronic filing of such material with the SEC. Our website address provided in this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not intended to function as a hyperlink and the information on our website is not, nor should it be considered, part of this report or incorporated by reference into this report.

Our SEC filings are also available to the public on the internet at the SEC’s website http://www.sec.gov.

Our business is subject to a number of risks, including those described below.

Our Development Activities Have Not Generated Significant Revenues

At present, our asset development activities include water resource (supply, storage and conveyance) and agricultural development at our San Bernardino County properties. We have not received significant revenues from these development activities to date and we cannot predict with certainty when, if ever, we will receive operating revenues from these business segments sufficient to offset the costs of our development activities. As a result, we continue to incur a net loss from operations.

We May Never Become Profitable Unless We Are Able to Successfully Implement Programs to Develop Our Land Assets and Related Water Resources and Water Filtration Technology Assets

Our agreements for water supply, storage, and conveyance projects are subject to financial and regulatory conditions, which may not be satisfied. Further, the circumstances under which water supply, storage, conveyance, water filtration or sustainable agriculture can be developed and the profitability of any such project are subject to significant uncertainties, including the risk of variable water supplies and changing water allocation priorities, our ability to fulfill the required contractual conditions of any water supply agreements, and our ability to complete the needed construction for water delivery to occur. Additional risks include our ability to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals and permits, litigation by community, environmental or other groups, unforeseen technical difficulties, general market conditions and competition for agriculture, water filtration products and water supplies, and the time needed to generate significant operating revenues from such programs after contracts are secured, crops are planted or operations commence.

The Development of Our Properties Is Heavily Regulated, Requires Governmental Approvals and Permits That Could Be Denied, and May Have Competing Governmental Interests and Objectives

In developing our land assets and related water resources, we are subject to local, state, and federal statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations concerning zoning, resource protection, environmental impacts, infrastructure design, subdivision of land, construction and similar matters. Our development activities are subject to the risk of adverse interpretations of such U.S. federal, state and local laws, regulations and policies and/or the adoption of new and amended laws, regulations and policies that prohibits, restrict, modify or delay our development activities.

Further, our development activities require governmental approvals and permits. If such permits were to be denied or granted subject to unfavorable conditions or restrictions, our ability to successfully implement our development programs as planned would be adversely impacted and could delay returns on our investments in the development of our assets.

For example, while we presently hold agreements with multiple public water systems to purchase 15,000 AFY and are in discussions with additional public water agencies to enter agreements to fill the remaining capacity of our Northern Pipeline (25,000 AFY) and whereby participating agencies would finance, own and operate the Northern Pipeline and lease 25,000 AFY of annual supply from us, any contracts and off take facility construction will be subject to standard environmental review and a project level permitting process as conditions precedent. There is no assurance that we can meet the conditions precedent for any of these contracts and even if we do, there is no assurance that we can receive the needed permits in a timely manner.

We cannot predict the terms, if any, which may be imposed in order to proceed with our water and other development programs.

Current regulations that could impact our water resources development activities are generally related to water conveyance functions, particularly the conversion of existing pipelines and construction of new pipelines and related facilities necessary to move water to and from the Cadiz Property, or between points along these pipelines for the benefit of California water users. In this regard, we will need to obtain certain permits and approvals from public water agencies in California, the California State Lands Commission, and agencies of the federal government, such as the US Department of the Interior. Such regulatory requirements will be determined by any contractual obligation to transport water between parties via our pipeline infrastructure.

Generally, opposition from third parties expressed at any regulatory venue can cause delays and increase the costs of our development efforts or preclude such development entirely. While we have worked with representatives of various environmental and third-party stakeholders to address any concerns about our projects, certain groups may remain opposed to our development plans regardless of our engagement and pursue legal and other actions.

Governmental approvals and permits granted authorizing our development activities may be challenged in court and such litigation could adversely impact our timelines, development plans, and ultimately the return on our investments.

A Portion of Our Total Assets Consists of Goodwill and Intangibles, Which Are Subject to a Periodic Impairment Analysis, and a Significant Impairment Determination in Any Future Period Could Have an Adverse Effect on Our Statement of Operations Even Without a Significant Loss of Revenue or Increase in Cash Expenses Attributable to such Period

We have goodwill of approximately $5.7 million including $1.9 million associated with the acquisition of assets of ATEC Systems, Inc. into ATEC Water Systems, LLC. We will be required to continue to evaluate this goodwill and intangibles for impairment based on the fair value of the operating business units to which the goodwill and intangible assets relate, at least once a year. These estimated fair values could change if we are unable to achieve revenue or operating results at the levels that have been forecasted, the market valuation of that business unit decreases based on transactions involving similar companies, or if there is a permanent, negative change in the market demand for the services offered by the business unit. These changes could result in further impairment of the existing goodwill and intangible balances and that could require a material non-cash charge to our results of operations.

Our Failure to Make Timely Payments of Principal and Interest on Our Indebtedness or To Obtain Additional Financing Will Impact our Ability to Implement Our Asset Development Programs

As of December 31, 2023, we had total indebtedness outstanding to our lenders of approximately $38.5 million which is secured by our assets. On March 6, 2024, we entered into a Third Amendment to Credit Agreement which, among other things, provided for (a) a new tranche of senior secured convertible term loans in an aggregate principal amount of $20,000,000 with a maturity date of June 30, 2027; (b) extension of the maturity date for the existing convertible loans ( $16.0 million in principal) and existing non-convertible loans ($21.2 million in principal) to June 30, 2027; and (c) subordination of the existing convertible loans to the existing non-convertible loans and new convertible loans (see Note 15 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements – “Subsequent Events”). Interest is payable quarterly in cash at a 7% annual rate on the $21.2 million of non-convertible loans with PIK interest accruing quarterly at a 7% annual rate on the $16 million of existing convertible loans and $20 million of new convertible loans. To the extent that we do not make principal and interest payments on the indebtedness when due, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the terms of agreements governing our indebtedness, we may default on our obligations.

We will continue to require additional working capital to meet our cash resource needs until such time as our asset development programs, including the Water Project, and water filtration technology business produce revenues sufficient to fund operations. If we cannot raise funds if and when needed, we might be forced to make substantial reductions in our operating expenses, which could adversely affect our ability to implement our current business plan and ultimately our viability as a company. We cannot assure you that our current lenders, or any other lenders, will give us additional credit should we seek it. If we are unable to obtain additional credit, we may engage in further debt or equity financings. Our ability to obtain financing will depend, among other things, on the status of our asset development programs and water filtration technology business and general conditions in the capital markets at the time financing is sought. Any further equity or convertible debt financings would result in the dilution of ownership interests of our current stockholders.

The Issuance of Equity Securities and Management Equity Incentive Plans Will Cause Dilution

We have and may continue to issue equity securities pursuant to "at the market" issuance sales agreements or direct placements. Further, our compensation programs for management and consultants emphasize long-term incentives, primarily through the issuance of equity securities and options to purchase equity securities. It is expected that plans involving the issuance of shares, options, or both will be submitted from time to time to our stockholders for approval. In the event that any such plans are approved and implemented, the issuance of shares and options under such plans may result in the dilution of the ownership interest of other stockholders and will, under currently applicable accounting rules, result in a charge to earnings based on the value of our common stock at the time of issue and the fair value of options at the time of their award. The expense would be recorded over the vesting period of each stock and option grant.

The Volatility of the Stock Price of our Equity Securities Could Adversely Affect Current and Future Stockholders

The market price of our common stock and depositary shares is volatile and fluctuates in response to various factors which are beyond our control. Such fluctuations are particularly common in companies such as ours, which have not generated significant revenues. The following factors, in addition to other risk factors described in this section, could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially:

• developments involving the execution of our business plan;
• disclosure of any adverse results in litigation;
• regulatory developments affecting our ability to develop our properties;
• the dilutive effect or perceived dilutive effect of additional debt or equity financings;
• perceptions in the marketplace of our company and the industry in which we operate; and
• general economic, political and market conditions.

In addition, the stock markets, from time to time, experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that may be unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies. These broad fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Price volatility could be worse if the trading volume of our common stock is low.

Information Technology Failures and Data Security Breaches Could Harm Our Business

We use information technology and other computer resources to carry out important operational and marketing activities and to maintain our business records. These information technology systems are dependent upon global communications providers, web browsers, telephone systems and other aspects of the Internet infrastructure that have experienced security breaches, cyber-attacks, significant systems failures and electrical outages in the past. A material network breach in the security of our information technology systems could include the theft of customer, employee or Company data. The release of confidential information as a result of a security breach may also lead to litigation or other proceedings against us by affected individuals or business partners, or by regulators, and the outcome of such proceedings, which could include penalties or fines, could have a significant negative impact on our business. We may also be required to incur significant costs to protect against damages caused by these information technology failures or security breaches in the future. However, we cannot provide assurance that a security breach, cyber-attack, data theft or other significant systems failure will not occur in the future, and such occurrences could have a material and adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations or financial position.

Increased Cybersecurity Requirements, Vulnerabilities, Threats and More Sophisticated and Targeted Computer Crime Could Pose a Risk to Our Systems, Networks, Products, Solutions, Services and Data

Increased global cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and more sophisticated and targeted cyber-related attacks pose a risk to our security and our customers', partners', suppliers' and third-party service providers' products, systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the data. We remain potentially vulnerable to additional known or unknown threats despite our attempts to mitigate these risks. We also may have access to sensitive, confidential or personal data or information that is subject to privacy and security laws, regulations or customer-imposed controls. Our efforts to protect sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, may nonetheless leave us vulnerable to material security breaches, theft, misplaced or lost data, programming errors, employee errors and/or malfeasance that could potentially lead to the compromising of sensitive, confidential or personal data or information, improper use of our systems, software solutions or networks, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or destruction of information, production downtimes and operational disruptions. In addition, a cyber-related attack could result in other negative consequences, including damage to our reputation or competitiveness, remediation or increased protection costs, litigation or regulatory action. Additionally, violations of privacy or cybersecurity laws (including the California Consumer Privacy Act), regulations or standards increasingly lead to class-action and other types of litigation, which can result in substantial monetary judgments or settlements. Therefore, any such security breaches could have a material adverse effect on us.

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

We have developed and implemented a cybersecurity risk management program intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our critical systems and information from cybersecurity threats.

Our cybersecurity risk management program includes:

• risk assessments designed to help identify material cybersecurity risks to our critical systems, information, products, services, and our broader enterprise IT environment;
• offsite backup storage of critical systems and information;

16

Cadiz Inc.

• the use of external service providers to assess, test or otherwise assist with aspects of our security controls;
• cybersecurity awareness training;
• a cybersecurity incident response plan that includes procedures for responding to cybersecurity incidents; and
• a third-party risk management process to identify and mitigate risks from third parties, such as service providers, suppliers, and vendors.

We have not identified any risks from known cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any prior cybersecurity incidents, that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect us, including our operations, business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. For additional information regarding risks from cybersecurity threats, see Item 1A, “Risk Factors”, above.

Cybersecurity Governance

Our Board considers cybersecurity risk as part of its risk oversight function and has delegated to the Audit & Risk Committee (the “Committee”) oversight of cybersecurity and other information technology risks. The Committee oversees management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management program as part of our overall enterprise risk management program.

The Committee receives periodic reports from management on our cybersecurity risks. In addition, management promptly updates the Committee regarding any material cybersecurity incidents, and as necessary as to any incidents with lesser impact potential. The Committee reports to the full Board regarding its activities, including those related to cybersecurity.

Our management team, with the assistance of our external service providers, is responsible for assessing and managing our material risks from cybersecurity threats. The team has primary responsibility for our overall cybersecurity risk management program and supervises the cybersecurity activities of both our internal personnel and our retained external cybersecurity consultants.

Following is a description of our significant properties.

The Cadiz Valley Property

We own approximately 35,000 acres of largely contiguous desert land in the Cadiz and Fenner valleys of eastern San Bernardino County, California (the “Cadiz Property”). This area is located approximately 80 miles east of Barstow, California and 30 miles north of the Colorado River Aqueduct, and 110 miles north-east of Palm Springs. The Cadiz Property, which is at the base of a topographically diverse 1,300 square mile watershed, is the principal location of our business operations, including our agricultural operations and ongoing development of our water supply, storage and conveyance projects.

Independent geotechnical and engineering studies conducted since initial acquisition have confirmed that the Cadiz Property overlies a significant aquifer system that can support agricultural development, the conservation of groundwater for off property water supply and the storage of imported water. Approximately 3,100 acres of the Cadiz Property is actively farmed by us or leased to third parties for farming activities and includes agriculture and water infrastructure including wells, wellfield manifold, pipelines, worker housing, and energy and transportation facilities (see Item 1. “Description of Business”, above).

Additional Eastern Mojave Properties

In addition to the Cadiz Property, we also own approximately 11,000 additional acres in the eastern Mojave Desert portion of San Bernardino County, California at two separate properties.

Piute: We own approximately 9,000 acres in the Piute Valley. This landholding is located 15 miles from the resort community of Laughlin, Nevada, and about 12 miles from the Colorado River town of Needles, California. Extensive hydrological studies, including the drilling and testing of a full-scale production well, have demonstrated that this landholding is underlain by high-quality groundwater and could be suitable for agricultural development or solar energy production. The Piute Valley properties include private inholdings in the Mojave Trails National Monument and are proximate to or border areas designated by the state and federal government as the Mojave National Preserve, Critical Desert Tortoise Habitat and/or Desert Wilderness Areas and are therefore ideally suited for preservation and conservation. Approximately 7,400 acres of our Piute Valley properties are reserved in our Fenner Valley Desert Tortoise Conservation Bank, which is the largest land bank in California dedicated to protecting the desert tortoise. The Bank offers credits that can be acquired by public and private entities required to mitigate or offset impacts to the desert tortoise linked to planned development. We are presently marketing these credits to a variety of planned developments in the region.

Danby: We own nearly 2,000 acres near Danby Dry Lake in Ward Valley, approximately 30 miles southeast of the Cadiz Property. Our Danby Dry Lake property is located approximately 10 miles north of the Colorado River Aqueduct. Initial hydrological studies indicate that it has excellent potential for a water supply project. Certain of the properties in this area may also be suitable for agricultural development, renewable energy and/or preservation and conservation lands. The Danby properties are currently managed for open space purposes.

Executive Offices

We lease approximately 3,800 square feet of office space in Los Angeles, California for our executive offices. This lease is month-to-month. Current base rent under the lease is approximately $8,600 per month.

Cadiz Real Estate

Title to all of our real estate assets is held by Cadiz Real Estate LLC (“Cadiz Real Estate”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cadiz Inc. The Board of Managers of Cadiz Real Estate currently consists of two managers appointed by the Company’s Board of Directors. As the ownership of the real estate held by Cadiz Real Estate has no effect on our ultimate beneficial ownership of these assets, we refer throughout this Report to assets owned of record either by Cadiz Real Estate or by us as “our” properties.

Cadiz Real Estate is a co-obligor under our senior secured term loan, for which assets of Cadiz Real Estate have been pledged as security.

Debt Secured by Properties

Our assets have been pledged as collateral for $38.1 million of senior secured debt outstanding as of December 31, 2023.

From time to time we are involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. At this time, we are not aware of any pending or threatened litigation that we expect will have a material effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, or operating results. Legal claims are inherently uncertain, however, and it is possible that our business, financial condition, liquidity and/or operating results could be adversely affected in the future by legal proceedings.

In connection with the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the following discussion contains trend analysis and other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “intends”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “projects”, “forecasts”, “expects”, “plans” and “proposes”. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. These include, among others, our ability to maximize value from our portfolio of assets and our ability to obtain new financings as needed to meet our ongoing working capital needs. See additional discussion under the heading “Risk Factors” above. Our forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof. We assume no duty to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new, changed or unanticipated events or circumstances, other than as may be required by law.

We are a water solutions provider with a unique combination of land, water, pipeline and water filtration technology assets located in Southern California between water systems serving population centers in the Southwestern United States. Our portfolio of assets includes 2.5 million acre-feet of water supply (permits complete), 220 miles of existing, buried pipeline, 1 million acre-feet of groundwater storage capacity, versatile, scalable and cost-effective water filtration technology.

We manage our landholdings, pipeline and water filtration technology assets to offer a suite of integrated products and services to public water systems, government agencies and commercial customers that include reliable water supply, groundwater storage, water conveyance and custom-designed water filtration technology systems.

Water Supply – We own vested water rights to withdraw 2.5 million acre-feet of groundwater for beneficial uses, including agricultural development on our property and export to serve communities across Southern California. Because all water in the aquifer system will eventually be lost to evaporation, surplus water that is captured and withdrawn before it evaporates is a new water supply (“conserved” water). We have completed environmental review in accordance with local, state and federal laws authorizing the management of the groundwater aquifer underlying the Cadiz Ranch which is expected to produce an average of 50,000 acre-feet of water per year for 50 years for beneficial use in Southern California communities.

Water Storage – The alluvium aquifer that lies beneath the Cadiz Property is also large enough for use as a water “banking” facility, capable of storing water “in-lieu” for supply customers and up to 1 million acre-feet of imported surplus water for return during drought periods. For comparison, MWD stores approximately 1.2 million acre-feet of water in the largest surface reservoir in the United States, Lake Mead.

Water Conveyance Infrastructure – We own the Northern Pipeline, an existing 220-mile 30-inch steel pipeline, that intersects several water storage and conveyance facilities in Southern California, including the California Aqueduct, the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and the Mojave River Pipeline. We also own a 99-year lease with the ARZC that will allow us to construct the Southern Pipeline within the existing, active railroad ROW that extends from the Cadiz Ranch to the Colorado River Aqueduct. The capacity of the Northern Pipeline for water conveyance is 25,000 AFY. The capacity of the Southern Pipeline, ranges from 75,000 AFY to 150,000 AFY depending on the pipeline diameter (54-inch to 84-inch) selected to accommodate imported water storage.

Water Filtration Technology – In 2022, we completed the acquisition of ATEC, which provides innovative water filtration solutions for impaired or contaminated groundwater sources. ATEC’s specialized filtration media provide cost-effective, high-rate of removal for common groundwater impairments and contaminants that pose health risks in drinking water including iron, manganese, arsenic, Chromium-6, nitrates, and other constituents of concern.

Our addition of pipeline infrastructure and ATEC water filtration technology to our portfolio of land and water assets enabled us in 2023 to adjust our business model to begin offering integrated services and solutions to public water systems that address the urgent challenges of climate change and make significant progress in advancing contract negotiations for water supply with public water systems.

In the first quarter of 2024, we entered into agreements with multiple public water systems to purchase 15,000 AFY of annual water supply from us to be delivered via the Northern Pipeline. These agreements cumulatively represent 60% of the full capacity (25,000 AFY) of the Northern Pipeline.

Through membership in FGMWC, a mutual water company to be owned by the participating water agencies, these agreements provide for delivery of purchased annual water supply over a 40-year term (take or pay), at an agreed upon market price estimated to start at approximately $850/AFY and subject to annual adjustment. Participating public agencies are expected to fund capital costs for conversion of the Northern Pipeline from gas to water, construction of pumping stations and appurtenant facilities, and would be able to seek infrastructure funding and grants.

These agreements and off take facility construction will be subject to standard environmental review and a project-level permitting process.

ATEC and our agricultural operations provide our current principal source of revenue, although our working capital needs are not fully supported by these operations at this time. We believe that our water supply, storage, pipeline conveyance and treatment solutions will provide a significant source of future cash flow for the business and our stockholders. We presently rely upon debt and equity financing to support our working capital needs and development of our water solutions.

Our current and future operations also include activities that further our commitments to sustainable stewardship of our land, water, pipeline and water filtration technology assets, good governance and corporate social responsibility. We believe these commitments are important investments that will assist in maintenance of sustained stockholder value.

Results of Operations

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

We have not received significant revenues from our water supply, storage, or conveyance assets to date. Our revenues have been limited to rental income from our agricultural leases, sales from our alfalfa plantings beginning in 2022 and ATEC sales beginning in 2023. As a result, we have historically incurred a net loss from operations. We currently operate in two reportable segments. Our largest segment is Land and Water Resources, which comprises all activities regarding our properties in the eastern Mojave Desert pre-revenue development of the Water Project (supply, storage and conveyance), and agricultural operations. Our second operating segment is Water Filtration Technology comprised of ATEC which provides innovative water filtration technology solutions for impaired or contaminated groundwater sources. Reporting of these two segments began in 2023 as the revenue and operating results for the water filtration technology segment were not material to our consolidated operations prior to the year ended December 31, 2023. We incurred a net loss of $31.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with a net loss of $24.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The higher loss in 2023 was primarily due to a loss on extinguishment of debt in the amount of $5.3 million resulting from issuance of a conversion instrument, a repayment fee and elimination of debt discount associated with the paydown of $15 million of senior secured debt in February 2023.

Our primary expenses are our ongoing overhead costs associated with the development of our water supply, storage and conveyance assets (i.e., general and administrative expense), farming expenses at the Cadiz Ranch, manufacturing operations of ATEC and our interest expense. We will continue to incur non-cash expense in connection with our management and director equity incentive compensation plans.

Revenues. Revenue totaled $2.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily related to ATEC sales totaling $0.8 million, sales from the harvest from our 760 acres of commercial alfalfa crop totaling $0.8 million and rental income from our agricultural leases totaling $0.4 million. Revenue totaled $1.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2022, primarily related to rental income from our agricultural leases and sales from the harvest from our then 610 acres of commercial alfalfa crop.

Cost of Sales. Cost of sales totaled $2.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, comprised of $2.2 million related to our alfalfa crop harvest and $0.7 million related to ATEC. The 2023 alfalfa crop harvest net operating loss of $1.4 million primarily relates to increased diesel costs for farming as well as suppressed market conditions for alfalfa on the West Coast. Cost of sales totaled $2.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. In June 2022, the Company converted 610 acres of agricultural development to alfalfa commercial production. The 2022 loss was primarily due to non-recurring start-up costs for the initial short year of commercial production.

General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses during the year ended December 31, 2023, exclusive of stock-based compensation costs, totaled $17.3 million compared with $13.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in 2023 was primarily a result of community partnership and communications investments, including $2.2 million in water quality and infrastructure costs in coordination with community partners that will improve access to clean water in disadvantaged communities in the Coachella Valley and $1.3 million in corporate communications modernization expenses to the Company’s online, print, digital and social materials. General and administrative expense for ATEC totaled $0.8 million for 2023.

Compensation costs from stock and option awards for the year ended December 31, 2023, totaled $1.5 million compared with $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The higher 2022 expense was primarily due to stock-based non-cash bonus awards to employees.

Depreciation. Depreciation expense totaled $1.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $0.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The higher 2023 depreciation expense is primarily due to construction in progress placed into service in 2023, which included land development and stand establishment related to the planting of 150 acres of alfalfa, as well as $0.2 million of depreciation for ATEC assets in 2023.

Interest Expense, Net. Interest expense totaled $4.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $8.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2022. The following table summarizes the components of net interest expense for the two periods (in thousands):

Interest income primarily relates to interest on investments in short-term deposits.

Losses on Derivative Liabilities. Losses on derivative liabilities totaled $220 thousand during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $0 in the year ended December 31, 2022. The losses recorded in 2023 were a result of a remeasurement of a conversion option under our senior secured debt.

Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt. Loss on early extinguishment of debt totaled $5.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $0 in the year ended December 31, 2022. The 2023 loss on early extinguishment of debt was a result of a conversion instrument, a repayment fee and elimination of debt discount associated with the paydown of $15 million of senior secured debt in February 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

(a) Current Financing Arrangements

As we have not received significant revenues or gross profits from our water, agriculture or water filtration technology activities to date, we have been required to obtain financing to bridge the gap between the time water resource and other development expenses are incurred and the time that revenue will commence. Historically, we have addressed these needs primarily through secured debt financing arrangements and private equity placements.

Equity Offerings

In July 2021, we completed the sale of 2,300,000 depositary shares each representing 1/1000th of a share of Series A Preferred Stock (“Depositary Share Offering”) for net proceeds of approximately $54 million.

On March 23, 2022, we completed the sale and issuance of 6,857,140 shares of our common stock to certain institutional and individual investors in a registered direct offering. The shares of common stock were sold at a purchase price of $1.75 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $12 million and aggregate net proceeds of approximately $11.8 million. The proceeds were used for working capital needs and for general corporate purposes.

On November 14, 2022, we completed the sale and issuance of 5,000,000 shares of our common stock to certain institutional investors in a registered direct offering (“November 2022 Direct Offering”). The shares of common stock were sold at a purchase price of $2.00 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $10 million and aggregate net proceeds of approximately $9.9 million.

On January 30, 2023, we completed the sale and issuance of 10,500,000 shares of common stock to certain institutional investors in a registered direct offering (“January 2023 Direct Offering”). The shares of common stock were sold at a purchase price of $3.84 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of $40.32 million and aggregate net proceeds of approximately $38.5 million. A portion of the net proceeds were used to repay our debt in the principal amount of $15 million, together with fees and interest required to be paid in connection with such repayment.

The remaining proceeds from the January 2023 Direct Offering, together with the remaining proceeds from the November 2022 Direct Offering were used for capital expenditures to accelerate development of water supply, storage, conveyance and treatment assets, working capital, development of additional water resources to meet increase demand on an accelerated timetable, and general corporate purposes.

Debt Offerings

In July 2021, we entered into a $50 million new credit agreement (“Credit Agreement”) (see Note 8 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements – “Long-Term Debt”). The proceeds of the Credit Agreement, together with the proceeds from the Depositary Share Offering, were used to (a) repay all our outstanding senior secured debt obligations in the amount of approximately $77.6 million, (b) to deposit approximately $10.2 million into a segregated account, representing an amount sufficient to pre-fund eight quarterly dividend payments on the Series A Preferred Stock underlying the Depositary Shares issued in the Depositary Share Offering, and (c) to pay transaction related expenses. The remaining proceeds were used for working capital needs and for general corporate purposes.

On February 2, 2023, we entered into a First Amendment to Credit Agreement to amend certain provisions of the Credit Agreement (“First Amended Credit Agreement”). Under the First Amended Credit Agreement, the lenders have a right to convert up to $15 million of outstanding principal, plus any PIK interest and any accrued and unpaid interest (the “Convertible Loan”) into shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $4.80 per share (the “Conversion Price”). In addition, prior to the maturity of the Credit Agreement, we have the right to require that the lenders convert the outstanding principal amount, plus any PIK Interest and accrued and unpaid interest, of the Convertible Loan if the following conditions are met: (i) the average VWAP of the Company’s common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market, or such other national securities exchange on which the shares of common stock are listed for trading, over 30 consecutive trading dates exceeds 115% of the then Conversion Price and (ii) there is no event of default under certain provisions of the Credit Agreement.

Under the First Amended Credit Agreement, the maturity date of the Credit Agreement was extended from July 2, 2024 to June 30, 2026.

On March 6, 2024, we entered into a Third Amendment to Credit Agreement and First Amendment to Security Agreement (“Third Amended Credit Agreement”) with HHC $ Fund 2012 (“Heerema”) (see Note 15 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements – “Subsequent Events”). Before entering into the Third Amended Credit Agreement, Heerema purchased the outstanding secured non-convertible term loans under the Credit Agreement (“Assignment”). In connection with the Assignment, the existing holders of both the Convertible Loan and non-convertible term loans consented to effectuate the Third Amended Credit Agreement in consideration of a consent fee in the aggregate amount of $479,845 payable in the form of our common stock (valued at $2.89 per share, or 166,036 shares), which will be registered pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 and a prospectus supplement thereunder. The Third Amended Credit Agreement provides, among other things, (a) a new tranche of senior secured convertible terms loans from Heerema in an aggregate principal amount of $20 million, having a maturity date of June 30, 2027 (“New Secured Convertible Debt”); (b) the aggregate principal amount of the secured non-convertible term loans acquired by Heerema has been increased from $20 million to $21.2 million and the applicable repayment fee in respect thereof has been eliminated; (c) the Convertible Loan existing prior to the Third Amended Credit Agreement, in an aggregate principal amount of approximately $16 million plus interest accruing thereon, has become unsecured; and (d) extension of the maturity date for the existing Convertible Loan and non-convertible loans to June 30, 2027.

The annual interest rate remains unchanged at 7.00%. Interest on $21.2 million of the remaining principal amount will be paid in cash. Interest on the aggregate $36 million principal amount of the New Secured Convertible Debt and existing Convertible Loan is paid in kind on a quarterly basis.

Limitations on our liquidity and ability to raise capital may adversely affect us. Sufficient liquidity is critical to meet our resource development, agricultural development and water filtration technology activities. To the extent additional capital is required, we may increase liquidity through a variety of means, including equity or debt placements, through the lease, sale or other disposition of assets or reductions in operating costs. If additional capital is required, no assurances can be given as to the availability and terms of any new financing.

As we continue to actively pursue our business strategy, additional financing will continue to be required (see “Outlook”, below). The covenants in the Credit Agreement do not prohibit our use of additional equity financing and allow us to retain 100% of the proceeds of any common equity financing. We do not expect the loan covenants to materially limit our ability to finance our water, agricultural development, and water filtration technology activities.

Cash Used for Operating Activities. Cash used for operating activities totaled $20.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and $18.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The cash was primarily used to fund general and administrative expenses related to our water development efforts, agricultural development efforts, and our ATEC business including increased working capital needs related to accounts receivable and inventory offset by increased accounts payable.

Cash Used for Investing Activities. Cash used for investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023, was $5.8 million, compared with $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The cash used in the 2023 period primarily related to development costs of three new wells at the Cadiz Ranch. The cash used in the 2022 period primarily related to development costs for the initial planting of 760 acres of alfalfa.

Cash Provided by Financing Activities. Cash provided by financing activities totaled $17.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with cash provided by financing activities of $16.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Proceeds from financing activities for both periods reported are primarily related to the issuance of shares under direct offerings, offset by the paydown of $15 million of senior secured debt in February 2023.

(b) Outlook

Short-Term Outlook. The net proceeds of approximately $19.0 million from the completion of the Third Amended Credit Agreement in March 2024, together with cash on hand, provide us with sufficient funds to meet our short-term working capital needs. Our agricultural development and ATEC operations are expected to be funded using existing capital and cash profits generated from operations.

Long-Term Outlook. In the longer term, we will need to raise additional capital to finance working capital needs and capital expenditures (see “Current Financing Arrangements”, above). Our future working capital needs will depend upon the specific measures we pursue in the entitlement and development of our water supply, storage, conveyance resources and other developments. Future capital expenditures will depend on the progress of the Water Project, further expansion of our agricultural assets, and ATEC operational needs.

We are evaluating the amount of cash needed, and the manner in which such cash will be raised, on an ongoing basis. We may meet any future cash requirements through a variety of means, including equity or debt placements, or through the sale or other disposition of assets. Equity placements would be undertaken only to the extent necessary, so as to minimize the dilution effect of any such placements upon our existing stockholders. No assurances can be given, however, as to the availability or terms of any new financing. Limitations on our liquidity and ability to raise capital may adversely affect us. Sufficient liquidity is critical to meet our resource development activities.

(c) Critical Accounting Estimates

As discussed in Note 2 to our Consolidated Financial Statements, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”, the preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and related footnotes. In preparing these financial statements, management has made its best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the financial statements based on all relevant information available at the time and giving due consideration to materiality. However, application of these policies involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions as to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ from these estimates. Management has concluded that the following critical accounting policies described below affect the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.

(1) Liquidity. Management assesses whether the Company has sufficient liquidity to fund its costs for the next twelve months from the financial statement issuance date. Management evaluates the Company’s liquidity to determine if there is a substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. In the preparation of this liquidity assessment, management applies judgement to estimate the significant assumptions related to the projected cash flows of the Company including the following: (i) projected cash outflows, (ii) projected cash inflows, (iii) categorization of expenditures as discretionary versus non-discretionary, and (iv) the ability to raise capital. The cash flow projections are based on known or planned cash requirements for operating costs as well as planned costs for project development.

Limitations on the Company’s liquidity and ability to raise capital may adversely affect it. Sufficient liquidity is critical to meet the Company’s activities. Although the Company currently expects its sources of capital to be sufficient to meet its near-term liquidity needs, there can be no assurance that its liquidity requirements will continue to be satisfied. If the Company cannot raise needed funds, it might be forced to make substantial reductions in its operating expenses, which could adversely affect its ability to implement its current business plan and ultimately impact its viability as a company.

(2) Goodwill. Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method, with the excess of the acquisition cost over the fair value of net tangible assets and identified intangible assets acquired considered goodwill. As a result, we disclose goodwill separately from other intangible assets. Our reporting units are composed of either a discrete business or an aggregation of businesses with similar economic characteristics.

We perform our annual impairment test of goodwill during the fourth quarter. Certain factors may cause us to perform an impairment test prior to the fourth quarter, including significant underperformance of a business relative to expected operating results, significant adverse economic and industry trends, significant decline in our market capitalization for an extended period of time relative to net book value, or a decision to divest a portion of a reporting unit. In performing impairment tests, we have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative assessment for goodwill impairment. If the qualitative assessment indicates that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we perform a quantitative assessment.

A quantitative assessment primarily consists of using the present value (discounted cash flow) method to determine the fair value of reporting units with goodwill. We compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying amount, and, to the extent the carrying amount exceeds the unit’s fair value, we recognize an impairment of goodwill for the excess up to the amount of goodwill of that reporting unit. In consultation with outside specialists, we estimate the fair value of our reporting units using various valuation techniques, with the primary technique being a discounted cash flow analysis. A discounted cash flow analysis requires us to make various assumptions about our reporting units, including their respective forecasted sales, operating margins and growth rates, as well as discount rates. Our assumptions about discount rates are based on the weighted average cost of capital for comparable companies. Our assumptions about sales, operating margins and growth rates are based on our forecasts, business plans, economic projections, anticipated future cash flows, and marketplace data. We also make assumptions for varying perpetual growth rates for periods beyond our long-term business plan period. We base our fair value estimates on projected financial information and assumptions that we believe are reasonable. However, actual future results may differ materially from these estimates and projections. The valuation methodology we use to estimate the fair value of reporting units requires inputs and assumptions that reflect current market conditions, as well as the impact of planned business and operational strategies that require management judgment. The estimated fair value could increase or decrease depending on changes in the inputs and assumptions.

In our annual impairment analysis in the fourth quarter of 2023, the goodwill of all reporting units in our water and land resources and water filtration technology reportable segments were tested utilizing a qualitative assessment. Based on this assessment, we determined that the fair values of these reporting units were more-likely-than-not greater than their respective carrying values. Therefore, the goodwill of our reporting units was not impaired.

(3) Long-Lived Assets. Property, plant and equipment, and water program assets are depreciated or amortized over their useful lives. Useful lives are based on management’s estimates of the period over which the assets will generate revenue. Assets are placed into service when they are in a condition or state of readiness for a specifically assigned function on a regular and ongoing basis.

(d) New Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Reg. 240.12b-2 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and are not required to provide the information under this item.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We have established disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information related to the Company, including its consolidated entities, is accumulated and communicated to senior management, including Chief Executive Officer (the “Principal Executive Officer”) and Chief Financial Officer (the “Principal Financial Officer”) and to our Board of Directors. Based on their evaluation as of December 31, 2023, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) are effective to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms, and such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the principal executive and principal financial officers as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria in the Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our evaluation under that framework, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2023.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

In connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, there was no change identified in the Company's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the last fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in

conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.