Public comment is open for one of the final sets of permits for an enormous and much-delayed water storage project west of Williams. Sites Reservoir would hold up to 1.5 Million Acre-Feet of off-stream storage, with nearly a Million Acre-Feet per year being diverted by canals and pipelines 17 miles from the Sacramento River. In January the Bureau of Reclamation issued their “record of decision”, which certifies that the project meets all aspects of the National Environmental Policy Act. A draft of the “water right order” from the State Water Resources Control Board was released in March. It’s been revised and opened again for public comment. Some environmental groups and tribes insist the project will divert too much water from the Sacramento River and harm Salmon and other wildlife. The Sites Project Authority says each month of delay increases construction costs by around $20 Million. The total cost is estimated at around $7 Billion of combined state and federal money. It’s the state’s largest water project in more than 50 years.
-Steve Gibson