Sites Reservoir Draft Water Right: More Safeguards, Same Boondoggle
Rendering of the new Sites reservoir. Credit: Sites Authority
Last month, the State issued a draft water right permit for the proposed Sites Reservoir project, which would divert water from the Sacramento River and store it in a giant new reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley. This highly anticipated action came after years of intensive efforts by Friends of the River and our tribal and environmental allies, including many months of water rights hearings, expert testimony, and other advocacy. The draft permit from the Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) of the State Water Resources Control Board includes stronger conditions than those proposed by the Sites Project Authority, but even with those improvements, the project remains a costly boondoggle that would worsen the very problems our rivers are already facing: declining flows, degraded water quality, and collapsing populations of economically and culturally important wildlife species.
Sites water will be expensive. Evidence presented during the hearing showed that water from Sites will be unaffordable relative to other sources of water. The draft permit underscores that point, because its proposed conditions would force the project to internalize more of its true costs, rather than shifting them onto the public and the environment.
Sites proponents have long touted the project as “environmentally friendly,” but in reality, they proposed the bare minimum to get through the process. This became clear throughout the water rights proceeding, where they opposed nearly every critical safeguard to protect river and water quality conditions identified by Tribes, environmental groups, and other parties.
Our coalition asked the Water Board to deny the water right outright because the project will cause harm to the public trust (natural and cultural resources preserved for the benefit of all Californians), Native Californians, and fish and wildlife. At the same time, we made clear that if the Board were to grant the permit, it must include strong, enforceable conditions to reduce those impacts.
The draft water right issued by the AHO raises the bar above what the Sites Project Authority proposed, but it still falls short of what is needed to prevent serious environmental and other harms. The AHO attempted to strike a balance, and we appreciate that effort, but the scale of the ecological crisis requires stronger protections.
On the positive side, to our knowledge, this is the first ever water rights permit that would directly limit the project’s ability to pump water into the reservoir based on Delta. The draft permit prohibits the project from taking water unless flow through the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary is at 55% or more of unimpaired (natural) flow. This is a major step in the right direction (the best available science suggests that 65% or more of natural flow is needed to prevent ecosystem collapse). Sites has been marketed as a project designed to capture flood flows. If it can’t divert only under truly high-flow conditions—such as the wettest third of water years—it shouldn’t operate at all.
We’re Not Done Yet
Comments on the draft water right are due May 22, and our coalition is working hard to analyze all the permit terms and thoroughly respond. There is already significant pressure from Sites proponents and their allies in the water establishment to weaken the protections that have been added. We will have to defend our progress and ask for more.
Stay Tuned
The Water Board could vote on whether to finalize the permit as soon as September 1. There will be opportunities to use YOUR VOICE. Friends of the River and our allies will be working to get you prepared to speak up. Please look for guidance from FOR on what the Board needs to hear and how you can participate in the comment process.
