MAXWELL, CA (MPG) – The Sites Project Authority is asking state regulators to revise portions of a draft water rights permit for the proposed Sites Reservoir Project, arguing several conditions could limit the project’s operations and reduce its long-term water supply benefits.
The authority released a statement May 26 following comments it submitted May 22 to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office regarding the draft decision and permit for the project.
The authority said it supports the draft finding that nearly 1 million acre-feet of water from the Sacramento River is available for appropriation for the reservoir project. Officials described the determination as a major step toward advancing the project.
At the same time, the authority said several proposed permit conditions could threaten the project’s feasibility if left unchanged before the draft order moves to the full State Water Resources Control Board on July 15.
Among the requested revisions, the authority asked regulators to clarify how a future Bay-Delta Plan Update would apply to the project’s water rights. Officials also raised concerns about conditions tied to bypass flow requirements designed to protect migrating salmon, arguing some provisions duplicate restrictions already included in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Incidental Take Permit.
The authority also requested clarification regarding how Sites water would move through the Delta during transfer periods and asked regulators to secure local runoff from Funks and Stone Corral creeks for use within Colusa and Glenn counties.
Project officials said the proposed reservoir remains critical to California’s long-term water storage strategy as the state faces drought, climate variability and pressure on existing water supplies.
The authority pointed to voter approval of Proposition 1 in 2014, which authorized funding for water storage and environmental projects, as evidence of statewide support for additional water infrastructure.
Officials said they believe a workable final permit remains achievable if revisions are made to address operational and legal concerns raised in the comments.
The Sites Reservoir Project, proposed west of Maxwell, is designed to provide off-stream water storage intended to improve water supply reliability, environmental management and drought resilience statewide.