MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – The Sites Project Authority is reviewing revised state documents that could determine how the proposed Sites Reservoir would divert and release water, with the organization saying the final conditions must allow the project to remain financially and operationally viable.
The State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office released a revised draft decision and draft water right permit for the proposed reservoir. The documents follow an earlier draft released in March.
“We are carefully reviewing the revised Draft Decision and Permit and will take the time necessary to fully evaluate the revisions,” the Authority said in a Sept. 3 statement. “The final adopted permit must keep the Project feasible, affordable, and capable of delivering the benefits it is designed to provide.”
The Authority said it raised concerns about the initial draft in comments submitted May 22. Those concerns focused in part on proposed conditions governing water diversions and releases.
“We emphasized that some of the proposed conditions for the diversion and release of water greatly risked undermining the viability of the Project and needed to be addressed before the AHO submitted the proposed order to the State Board,” the Authority said.
The organization said its review will determine whether the revised documents address those issues and whether the revisions raise additional concerns.
The State Water Resources Control Board received about 50 comment letters following the initial draft, according to the Authority. Those submitting comments included the Bureau of Reclamation, California Department of Water Resources, California Natural Resources Agency, California Environmental Protection Agency, California Water Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“This level of participation underscores both the significance of this Project to California and the value of a transparent, deliberative process,” the Authority said.
Interested parties will have another opportunity to submit comments to the State Water Resources Control Board on the revised draft decision and permit. The Authority said it plans to participate in that process.
The Authority also reiterated its support for additional water storage in California, citing voters’ approval of Proposition 1 in 2014.
“We remain committed to delivering this important project and working with state and federal agencies and participants across the state to advance the California Water Plan’s goals for securing our future water supplies,” the Authority said.
Sites Reservoir is proposed as a 1.5 million acre-foot, off-stream reservoir north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The project has support from participating cities, counties, water agencies and irrigation districts, along with state and federal funding programs.