State Water Board releases draft water right decision for proposed Sites Reservoir

SACRAMENTO – The State Water Resources Control Board today released for public comment a draft water right decision and associated permit for a new reservoir located approximately 65 miles northwest of Sacramento.

The Sites Project Authority proposes to build a 1.5 million acre-feet facility to store and divert water from the Sacramento River for future uses, including agriculture, municipal, and fish and wildlife preservation. The site of the proposed reservoir is 17 miles west of the river in Glenn and Colusa counties, near the town of Maxwell.

The authority applied to the State Water Board for a water right permit in May 2022. Following application revisions and a formal protest period to address and resolve the concerns of interested parties, the board in November 2023 assigned the matter to its Administrative Hearings Office, an independent unit created in 2019 to conduct water rights proceedings and prepare water right orders and decisions for the board’s consideration.

The hearing process involved 21 parties, 60 witnesses, 2,115 evidentiary documents and took place over 32 separate hearing days, with a two-day site visit. The draft decision evaluates the evidence and legal arguments received during the proceedings and provides the rationale for conditions contained in the draft water right permit; it is the product of extensive deliberations by the board members during closed sessions over the last two years. In drafting the Sites decision, the State Water Board considered multiple competing needs and set draft conditions to protect senior right holders, water quality, and flows for fisheries in the Sacramento River and Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.

The conditions proposed in the draft include the following:

• Annual diversions limited to 986,000 acre-feet.
• Requirements to align the proposed water right with the planning processes underway for the Bay-Delta watershed.
• Operating criteria at the diversion facilities to protect fisheries.

The project would use existing infrastructure to divert water from the Sacramento River near Red Bluff and Hamilton City. New and existing facilities would transfer water into and out of the reservoir, ultimately releasing water back to the Sacramento River system via canals and a pipeline for use by storage partners.

Related infrastructure would be located in Glenn and Colusa counties and include the following: construction of two dams, seven saddle dams, and two saddle dikes; development of two recreation areas; road construction and improvements; and construction of pumping facilities and pipelines.

After the 60-day public comment period ends on May 22, the hearings office will evaluate the input received and, if appropriate, revise the draft decision and permit for consideration by board members. The board will provide a second comment period prior to final consideration of the water right decision and water right permit. 

Additionally, Sites has applied to the board for a water quality certification, which is also required for the proposed project and obtained through a separate process.

More information on the Sites water right application can be found on the board website.

The State Water Board’s mission is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California’s water resources and drinking water for the protection of the environment, public health and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper resource allocation and efficient use for present and future generations.