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Sites on the Horizon?

Plans to build a new off-stream water storage facility in Colusa County are moving closer to reality. Earlier this year, representatives from a range of federal, state and local agencies gathered in Maxwell, just a few miles from the proposed Sites Reservoir, to celebrate the signing of a memorandum of understanding outlining the next steps in its construction.

The idea of building a reservoir in the remote Antelope Valley first surfaced in the 1950s, but failed to get the necessary support and funding. It was revived during the Wilson Administration, and became a part of CALFED’s Record of Decision. Current proposals call for storing up to 1.9 million acre feet of water in the reservoir, which would be filled during periods of heavy rainfall.

According to David Guy of the Northern California Water Association, the MOU outlines an "integrated water management program for the Central Valley," serving agricultural, urban and environmental interests. "Sites Reservoir is critical," he says. The new reservoir would give managers the "flexibility" to manage water above the Delta without the environmental damage caused by damming one of the state's major rivers. Environmentalists are "pretty wary" of the project, which would drown some fourteen thousand acres, according to Steve Evans of Friends of the River. "On paper it sounds like it might not have much impact to the environment," he says. Most of the Antelope Valley is already severely degraded, due mostly to grazing activities, he acknowledges, but it also includes stands of native oak and grasslands. As for the claim that it will serve multiple interests while doing little harm, he says. "We've been sold that stuff before."

Supporters hope to complete the environmental review process by August 2004.

Contact: David Guy (916) 442-8333

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