sites reservoir california

For her, its not a matter of whether to fill the valley with storm water, but how deep and how fast. (An acre-foot of water is enough to supply three households for a year.). But while investors wait it out, opponents including conservation groups, the salmon industry and tribal leaders warn that many important issues have yet to be decided by regulatory agencies and the courts. Operator: USGS/USACE. California's water management infrastructure was predominantly developed in the 20th century and was not designed to operate under anticipated future climate conditions. The Sites Reservoir Project would be a 1.5 million acre-foot offstream surface storage reservoir located in the Sacramento Valley west of the town of Maxwell. Zachary Dennis, chairman of the Tehama Colusa Canal Authority, takes stock of his losses after bulldozing 377 acres of almond trees. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. This reservoir will be operated to accommodate climate change and improve environmental and water supply system resilience. If we do absolutely nothing, I can guarantee you things will get worse.. And Brown, executive director of the Sites Authority, noted the project has changed multiple times based on public comments. Sites Reservoir is a generational opportunity to construct a multi-benefit water storage project that helps restore flexibility, reliability, and resiliency to Californias water supply. Still, environmentalists have questioned the reservoirs feasibility and operation: Will there be enough water to fill it? The Metropolitan Water District which delivers 1.6 million acre-feet of imported water a year to 19 million people would receive about 50,000 more from Sites., adding just 3% to its supply. In fact, if Sites Reservoir were constructed and operational over these past few years, we would have a million acre-feet of water stored for use today to help mitigate the impacts we are currently experiencing during this very difficult drought situation. Farmers contend that harvesting the Sacramento Rivers storm water is critical to their economic survival. Pryor, at the Zone 7 Water Agency, said she understands the need for a cautiously paced planning stage for a mega-project like Sites. This has resulted in a predictably unreliable and unsustainable water management system during periods of drought. Reduced water for wildlife refuges and flooding rice farms could set the stage for botulism and avian cholera outbreaks. Among 30 other beneficiaries, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California would get the largest share of the reservoirs water because it would pay the largest share of the projects development costs. Local, Latest Trip Guide. The reservoir is one of seven water storage projects scheduled to receive funding from a voter-approved bond in 2014. Valerie Pryor, its general manager, said frequent droughts and residential demand have squeezed supplies, making Sites an appealing option. By Jeff Sutton,General Manager, Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority SCWC What Matters Water TV+ Podcast Episode #7: Sites Reservoir and the Future of California Water Storage, California Rice Commission Ingrained Podcast Episode 32: Momentum Grows for Sites Reservoir, California Rice Podcast: Ingrained Ep. The Sites Reservoir would not connect to any river. When completed,. In 2021, after back-to-back critically dry winters, Californias farms and our rural communities are facing a real and imminent threat as we approach the hottest, driest months of the summer irrigation season. But drought can also be disastrous to investors.. Sites Dam will be nearly 300 feet high and more than 700 feet in length; Golden Gate Dam will be about the same height and three times as long. The bitter part of it all is losing more monetarily and emotionally than anyone could ever imagine, she said with a sigh. Gavin Newsom has rallied for the project, and his 2022water strategyoutlined a plan to create as much as 4 million acre-feet of new water storage space. Sites Reservoir will likewise have a significant, positive impact on the environment, which also suffers during drought conditions. However, this snowpack has become less reliable due to the effects of climate change. Resources Informational Materials Audio/Podcasts Fritz Durst: Fore-Sites or Hind-Sites Listen Now We Grow California Podcast Listen Now SCWC What Matters Water TV+ Podcast Episode #7: Sites Reservoir and the Future of California Water Storage Listen Now California Ric. The reservoir is now projected to cost $4.4 billion, with Prop. All I see in the Sacramento Valley these days are fallow rice fields owned by farmers whose surface water deliveries have been slashed, he added. Sites Reservoir is an insurance policy for future droughts. The idea behind the reservoir is to take water from the river only when it has extra water to give, such as during large storms like one last October that set a single-day Sacramento rainfall record. I had no choice, said Zachary Dennis about bulldozing 377 acres of almond trees. Housing Sites would be different from most of Californias other large reservoirs. In California, we have relied on the Sierra Nevada snowpack and the spring/summer runoff to fill our reservoirs and recharge our groundwater aquifers which in turn provides water for agricultural, environmental, and urban uses. The board determined that the Sites analysis failed to assess or consider these changes. Northern California reservoirs, the foundation of both the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, are at historically low levels and continue to fall. The vote by the California Water Commission ensured that the Sites Reservoir project will remain eligible for about $800 million in taxpayer money, representing about 20% of the projects roughly $4 billion price tag. Background Fresno Pastor Praises Mandate Exemption. Sites Reservoir Project is an offstream water storage enhancement to the California water system that will provide multiple environmental benefits to improve aquatic habitat conditions and withstand dry year conditions. California Water Commission chair Teresa Alvarado stressed Wednesdays vote was not a final decision to fund the project. Wednesday's vote by the California Water Commission means the lake named Sites Reservoir is eligible for about $800 million in taxpayer money, or about 20% of the project's price tag. It would harness winter flood flows from the Sacramento River, divert the water west and pump it into a deep, 14,000-acre reservoir formed in the Antelope Valley. While located in the Sacramento Valley, the significant benefits associated with Sites Reservoir will accrue statewide. California needs to break ground on Sites Reservoir. Since then, multiple droughts have strained the states water supply and renewed calls for more ways to capture and store water from the states major rivers and streams. Local Worsening drought has renewed interest in a proposal to transform Sites Valley, about 70 miles northwest of Sacramento, into a $4-billion reservoir. Sites Reservoir is a generational opportunity to construct a multi-benefit water storage project that helps restore flexibility, reliability, and resiliency to California's water supply. And as they wander out, they muse that in less than 10 years the entire valley could be underwater. As general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, I know first-hand how impactful drought can be to California farms and ranches and how devastating it can be to the rural communities that rely on an agricultural economy that provides the food and fiber for our nation and the world. With declining reliability and some population growth, we do need some additional water supply, Pryor said. But Sites Reservoir is! Sites Reservoir would add a new, offstream storage facility in northern California, 10 miles west of the town of Maxwell in rural Glenn and Colusa counties. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! Water board officials declined an interview request. During storms it will fill with water, which will be delivered via canals and pipelines. The California Department of Water Resources provides an interactive map of water levels for 12 major reservoirs in California. We need to advance water recycling projects, increase conservation and develop more capacity to store water. Amid a severe drought, California regulators on Wednesday advanced what could be the states first major new water storage project in years despite warnings it would hasten the extinction of an endangered salmon species while disrupting the cultural traditions of some native tribes. However, this snowpack has become less reliable due to the effects of climate change. Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake are filled to the brim, and the rivers of the Central Valley are roaring. Of course, if we dont need that water, we can always sell it to someone who does.. In fact, not only does this project have an extremely benign environmental impact, it also dedicates a significant portion of its water supply and operational benefits to the enhancement of terrestrial and aquatic environments. The Sites reservoir saves us billions and billions that would be spent on desalination, Kightlinger said. Where Is It. The plan is to build a new lake in Northern California that, when full, could hold enough water to supply 3 million households for one year. Since Sites construction takes six years, the process would be expected to take 18 years. Sites will serve to capture and store stormwater and flood flows in the Sacramento River, after all other water rights and regulatory requirements are met, for release primarily in drier years, such as 2021. About NCWA The Sierra Nevada snowpack, that serves as our mountain reservoirs, is 60% of historic average. If permitted, the first major new reservoir built in California since 1999 would be owned and operated by a group of Central Valley agricultural interests and water districts. New California COVID Rule Will Worsen Labor Shortage: Business Leaders, Kevin Spesert with Sites Project Authority on the bank of a canal that would be a key water source for the planned new reservoir. A2022 federal loanof $2.2 billion and a $449 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the Sites Project Authority, plus afinancial pledgefrom the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, will cover much of the rest of the cost. Now state officials and supporters are ready to build the next one. Sites Reservoir Project. Cities and water agencies from across California, as well as our federal and state partners, are collaborating to make Sites Reservoir, and these resulting benefits a reality. Sites Reservoir is a generational opportunity to construct a multi-benefit water storage project that helps restore flexibility, reliability, and resiliency to Californias water supply. But environmental groups complained it was too early for regulators to say the project was feasible, especially since it hasnt completed multiple environmental reviews required by state and federal law. This is where Sites Reservoir comes in. Its not an exaggeration to say that Californias Sacramento Valley rice farms are one of the main reasons why the Wests waterfowl populations buck a troubling trend. However, with prudent investments in necessary water infrastructure, theimpacts from the intermittent droughts that California experiences can be greatly mitigated and more effectively managed. Weve rightsized the project over the last two years, achieving a responsible balance between the potential effects of diverting water in wet years compared to the benefits of storing and releasing water for dry years. 2021 is the type of year Sites Reservoir is designed for. 16, The Case for Sites Part II: Tim Quinn, Association of California Water Agencies Former Executive Director, California Rice Podcast: Ingrained Ep. Sites Reservoir, which would be located on the west side of the Sacramento Valley, is a different kind of water storage project. Much of Californias precipitation now comes from intense storm events that produce extreme amounts of stormwater that runs off before it can be captured for maximum benefit. Still, theres no escaping the anxiety among local farmers and ranchers cornered by climate change. There are still many steps ahead for the project to receive the public funding, approval by the Water Commission before the end of the year was required for the project to maintain its eligibility. Instead, the project must pump water from the nearby Sacramento River. This is the sort of pendular weather pattern that Sites is being designed to take advantage of, by grabbing water when its abundant. But Sites would be whats called an off-channel reservoir, built away from the river. Wells and her children often hike and ride horses in the area. (Risa Johnson / California Department of Water Resources). Now regulators at the State Water Resources Control Board need to quickly approve the Sites Project Authoritys application to begin using water from the Sacramento River. Further, our aging and insufficient water infrastructure was developed prior to the population boom California has experienced over the last half century and is now being stressed beyond its capabilities. The Sites Reservoir planned in a remote corner of the western Sacramento Valley for at least 40 years has been gaining steam and support since 2014, when voters approved Prop. Its also home to 20 people, including Mary Wells, a respected former water manager and policymaker in Northern California, who has operated a cattle ranch in the valley for nearly half a century. Business (AP File Photo/Adam Beam), Sites Reservoir Project Gets Boost From California Regulators, The Crash That Wasn't: Fresno Home Prices Climbing Again Despite High Interest Rates, Be on Lookout for Missing Reedley K9 Kona, a German Shepherd. Users can click on each reservoir to access more detailed information, including . Also included is a pair of tunnels 23 feet wide and 3,000 feet long. The reservoir would be operated to accommodate and address . Sites Reservoir is a potential new offstream reservoir that would be located about 78 miles northwest of Sacramento in the eastern foothills of the California Coast Range. 1, a water bond that authorized$2.7 billionfor new storage projects. When flooded for the winter, rice fields serve as surrogate floodplain habitat, and they provide an important food source for ducks, geese and swans. If we get it, well break ground in 2024 and be in full operation by 2030, Brown said. 9 min read. Further, our aging and insufficient water infrastructure was developed prior to the population boom California has experienced over the last half century and is now being stressed beyond its capabilities. Its Turning Heads in California. About 15 families live in and near the town of Sites, so building the reservoir will require their relocation.
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