A diverse and bi-partisan group of state and local elected officials, regional water resources managers, farmers, labor and business leaders gathered today in Maxwell to mark the significant milestones achieved in the development of Sites Reservoir, and to acknowledge the momentum gaining for this important project that will provide public benefits and statewide water system improvements (see release below).
Importantly, Sites Reservoir is not a traditional water storage project. It is a 21st century water management project that looks to California’s future by regulating and storing water to serve various beneficial purposes at critical times–water needed for cities and rural communities, farms, fish, birds and recreation. An off-stream regulating reservoir on the west-side of the Sacramento Valley (Sites) is an important step forward to serve all these beneficial purposes in the Sacramento Valley, as well as providing statewide water system operational improvements.
So why does California need Sites Reservoir for the 21st century? California currently has 39 million people (going to 50 million) and a spectacular landscape supporting various other species–all of which depend upon a managed water system to help provide drinking water and other domestic uses, the most diverse and high quality food grown anywhere in the world, the cold water and habitat for fish, and habitat for birds along the Pacific Flyway. The recent dry spell and a changing climate have reinforced that for all of these beneficial uses to thrive in California, we need robust surface water storage throughout California. One of the best opportunities to add value to our current water system is the proposed Sites Reservoir, an off-stream regulating reservoir on the west side of the Sacramento Valley.
For more information, visit SitesProject.org.
