Proposed Sites Reservoir may cover new ground in California

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The stalemate over water reform in California these days swirls around a single word that for decades has ignited conflict among ideological opposites: dams.

Conservatives, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, insist on building new dams, believing that pooling water in a canyon will end California's thirst.

Liberals first want legal assurances that California will make better use of the water it has -- a plea for more regulation that seems pointless to the thirsty.

The age-old conflict remains a key barrier to a water reform package now being tossed around the state Legislature.

Water experts believe there's a solution somewhere in the middle: more water storage and tighter control of that stored water.

There's one proposed dam that tries to fill that middle ground as something more than idle storage. This one is not your traditional dam.

The proposed Sites Reservoir would flood the remote Antelope Valley, which lies northwest of Sacramento near the Colusa County town of Maxwell.

To farmer Mary Wells, the project represents the future of California agriculture.

Wells manages both the Maxwell Irrigation District and Westside Water District, both of which could benefit from the project. It would also help her rice and almond business.

On the other hand, the reservoir would flood the scenic cattle ranch that's been her home for 37 years.

"It's really tough to think about, at this point in my life, losing my ranch," said Wells, 64, who runs the business with her husband, Chuck. "But with most of the family still in agriculture, I want them to have the opportunity to continue. I cannot see how that can occur unless there is another reservoir."

The new water site would be an "off-stream" reservoir, meaning it would not block a river, which for environmentalists is the chief strike against most dams.

Instead, the V-shaped valley would be turned into a bowl by building two large earthen dams on its east side and nine smaller dams on its north end.

This bowl would be filled by pumping Sacramento River water from three different sources: the existing Tehama-Colusa and Glenn-Colusa canals, and a new pipeline running due west from the Sacramento River.

This new pipeline would also release water from the reservoir back into the river when it can best alleviate drought and help fisheries. As much as 90 megawatts of electricity could be generated at the same time, although Sites would be a net energy consumer because of the pumping power required to fill it.

Operated in concert with Shasta, Oroville and Folsom dams, Sites could help share Northern California's water-delivery burden, allowing existing reservoirs to provide more water for fish habitat.

For instance, Sites could meet water demand normally provided by Folsom in summer, allowing Folsom to save its limited cold-water supply for fall salmon and steelhead runs in the American River.

"It's not a traditional reservoir, and it irks me when people think of it as a traditional dam," said Stephen Roberts, manager of surface-storage investigations at the state Department of Water Resources, which is studying the project with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. "This is really an important tool to provide benefits across California."

Three other new dams are being studied in California: one to enlarge Shasta Lake on the Sacramento River; another to enlarge Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County; and a new dam on the San Joaquin River above Friant Dam.

Sites may be the most promising because of its relatively large size and potentially smaller environmental footprint. No major threats to wildlife or habitat have been identified in the reservoir footprint.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)

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