Sites Reservoir Boondoggle -- Friends of the River

Breaking News:

Friends of the River, Center for Biological Diversity, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, California Water Impact Network, and Save California Salmon file lawsuit against the Sites Reservoir Authority environmental impact statement for Sites Reservoir

Read the December 20, 2023, Center for Biological Diversity press release

Sites Project Authority Submits Rushed Application for Regulatory Streamlining, Environmental Groups Oppose

Read our October 23, 2023, press release | Read letter

Scientific Report: Yearly Greenhouse Gas Pollution From Proposed Sites Dam and Reservoir Project Would Equal 80,000 Gas-Powered Cars. New Patagonia & Friends of the River Study Estimates the Proposed Dam’s Annual Emissions.

Read our August 24, 2023, press release | Learn more

Friends of the River asks the U.S. EPA to deny $2.2 billion dollar loan.

Read our September 27, 2023, letter

URGENT: Stop the Sites Reservoir Boondoggle

The majestic Sacramento River is California’s largest, flowing almost 450 miles from its headwaters to its outlet at the Golden Gate on San Francisco Bay. The river’s watershed encompasses more than 25,000 square miles and is home to 2.2 million Californians.

The Sacramento River is an important source of water for state residents and is also a beloved recreation destination for millions of visitors.

Today, the Sacramento River faces an existential threat: the proposed Sites Reservoir, a boondoggle that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and prevent investments in real solutions to our state's water woes.

The Painful Truth About Sites Reservoir

Do you know why Sites Reservoir hasn’t already been built when previous generations of water wasters dammed up so much of the state? Because it was an inferior location then, and it’s even more of a boondoggle today. While its impact on overall state water supplies would be minimal, its impact on the environment could be devastating. Species brought to the brink of extinction during the last dam boom may not recover if Sites is constructed.

If constructed, According to the Sites Project Authority preferred model, Sites Reservoir would only expand overall water availability in California by less than 1% — just 0.657% on average — and during long drought spells, it would sit useless. Yet the harm caused to waterways throughout California would be permanent and irreversible.

The reality is California has over-allocated water from the Sacramento River by 151%—that means that there are more rights to divert water out of the river than the river can provide in an average water year. Sites would allow its investors to divert and sell even more of the over-allocated water, further diminishing Spring flows in the Sacramento River and the Delta. The reservoir itself would drown thousands of acres of grassland, oak woodland, and riparian habitat, further imperiling threatened and endangered species throughout the Sacramento River watershed.

Indeed, to talk about Sites Reservoir as a single project is misleading. The Sites Project Authority wants to build TWO massive dams and nine other dams, combined to flood the Antelope Valley and forever alter a picturesque landscape and habitat. More than 78 miles of the Sacramento River would see reduced or altered water flows. Millions of Californians would see their communities forever altered and livelihoods jeopardized.

In some months, Sites could reduce flows in the Delta by 11%; Trinity River by up to 17%; Feather River by up to 18%; American River by up to 16%; Sutter Bypass by up to 21%; and Yolo Bypass by up to 36%. This impacts communities — including fishing and tourism economies — all over Northern California. During critically dry years, Sites could allow water diversions to take more than half of the Sacramento River’s flow. California communities deserve better!

We Can't Fix Past Mistakes, But We Can Prevent New Ones

Today, the Sacramento River sustains five runs of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, as well as more than 200 bird species that depend on the river’s riparian and wetland habitat. Previous dams, excessive water diversions from the river, and clearing of habitat have brought the salmon, and many other fish and wildlife species, to the brink of extinction. Salmon populations are in such dire condition that this year, for only the third time in history, the government closed both commercial and recreational salmon fishing throughout California and much of Oregon.

For more than three decades, government agencies and conservation organizations have worked tirelessly to protect and restore the habitats once lost.

Additionally, more than 144 prehistoric and historic sites are located within the reservoir footprint. Some may be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. If the Reservoir is constructed, they will be lost forever.

Don’t believe the dam lobby’s empty promises about the environment. Many conservation groups are united in opposition to the Sites Reservoir, because we’ve seen this play before. They always promise the world every time a new dam is built, and they always fail to deliver. Every major dam and water project in California has been promoted by water agencies and politicians as enhancing and protecting the environment. Decades later, salmon and other fish species are plummeting toward extinction, and our water quality is suffering, largely due to these projects.

We can’t let them undermine the progress we’ve made in restoring and protecting this precious land. Join us in the fight to save the Sacramento River and Stop the Sites Reservoir Boondoggle.

There Are Better Alternatives

The state’s dammers want you to believe that multi-billion dollar dams and reservoirs are the last best solution to California’s water shortages. They’re wrong.

We don’t need to destroy the environment to increase water availability. Countless viable alternatives exist — if we fund and prioritize them — and they’re often cheaper and more reliable, while also being more sustainable.

While prolonged periods of drought and infrequent but severe episodes of precipitation will, without a doubt, impact California’s water security, FOR rejects the notion that there is one golden-ticket solution to securing our water future. FOR endorses a portfolio of viable alternatives to Sites Reservoir and other proposed large-scale damming projects:

Agricultural land use diversification – California’s agricultural industry represents 2% of California’s economy yet 80% of its water use. We celebrate the contributions of California farmers, but California has not sufficiently disincentivized the growing of water-intensive crops such as alfalfa, almonds, and pistachios, primarily for foreign exports. Reservoir projects like Sites are expected to primarily provide more water to large-scale farms so they can continue growing these wasteful crops.
Improving agricultural water management and efficiency – Many of California’s extremely water-strained farmlands still do not implement the latest methods of water conservation. More efficient modes of irrigation like drip and micro irrigation have the potential to save 5.6 to 6.6 million acre-feet of water annually in the state.
Urban water recycling and conservation – Approximately 400 billion gallons of treated water are discarded into the ocean or California estuaries annually (1.2 million acre-feet/year). Potable and onsite water reuse are significantly under tapped sources for water supply in California. Additionally, researchers have estimated that, with investments in water efficiency, California could decrease urban water use by 30%–48%.

We can achieve water security for California with a water distribution system that prioritizes the ecological health of the Bay-Delta Watershed, and the human right to water.

We can prioritize food security and equitable allocation of agricultural water along with urban conservation and utilization of local supplies. We must transition away from large storage and conveyance projects, and toward conservation, efficiency, and ecological restoration.

Sue Graue Antelope Valley Photos

Sue Graue provided this photo gallery of Antelope Valley, the proposed location for Sites Reservoir. You can use these photos with credits to Sue.