California residents have denounced the state’s largest reservoir project in roughly five decades, with one critic describing it as “cultural genocide.”
The State Water Resources Control Board approved a permit Wednesday for the proposed Sites Reservoir. The facility would store up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water diverted from the Sacramento River.
Supporters say the reservoir could provide enough water for 4.5 million homes annually. Outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has called the project a “smart investment.”
But during a 10-hour meeting in Sacramento, residents and advocacy groups voiced strong opposition to the multimillion-dollar plan.
Opponents of the northern Sacramento Valley project say the reservoir would inundate ancestral tribal lands and destroy sites of longstanding cultural importance.
Amanda Mitchum, an official with the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, characterized the proposed reservoir as “cultural genocide.”
“If the water board approves this permit, understand that you are approving the erasure of our past generations and our generations to come,” Mitchum said.
She said the reservoir would “literally be covering up the footprints and trails that my father walked with his mother,” according to the outlet.
The proposed Sites Reservoir would store 1.5 million acre-feet of water diverted from the Sacramento River (pictured)
Amanda Mitchum, an official with the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, described the proposal as “cultural genocide”
Julian Palmisano, a water specialist who works with tribal nations, said the project would leave a “scar” on future generations
Julian Palmisano, a water specialist for tribal nations, said the project would leave a “scar” for generations to come.
Kasil Willie, policy director at Save California Salmon, also condemned what she called the project’s “sacrifice of tribal cultural resources” and urged officials to establish stronger protections.
“We’ve been advocating and asking for protections for cultural resources from the state water board,” Willie said.
Sites Reservoir would be California’s first new reservoir since New Melones Lake was completed in 1979.
ALSO READ: Trump Claims Republican Dan Sullivan Won Alaska Senate Election
The project’s projected price has risen over time. Its estimated cost reached $6.2 billion last year, surpassing an earlier estimate of $4.5 billion.
Jerry Brown, executive director of the Sites Reservoir Project Authority, said Thursday that the cost estimate was approaching $7 billion.
“As time passes, the cost of construction escalates,” Brown told the outlet. “It’s a lot like inflation, not that we are changing our cost estimate.”
Kasil Willie, policy director at Save California Salmon, said she had repeatedly sought “protections for cultural resources” tied to the project
The Sites Reservoir proposal, whose projected cost has increased over the years, has received strong backing from California Gov. Gavin Newsom
The Sites Project Authority initially applied for a water permit in March 2022. The proposal was revised several times as advocates raised objections.
Brown said the permit had undergone “the most comprehensive and complete review of this kind of request that’s ever occurred in California.”
“We did everything we possibly could to understand and consider the concern and make adjustments where we could,” Brown said.
He acknowledged that “there are trade-offs that have to be made.”
Newsom has called the reservoir a state “priority,” arguing that California “can’t afford to keep waiting for the water storage we need.”
“The approval shows California can get big infrastructure projects moving again,” Newsom said Thursday.
Wade Crowfoot, California’s natural resources secretary, said the state’s water infrastructure “was built for a climate that no longer exists.”
“To adapt, we need to capture water during huge storms and wet winters to get us through worsening droughts,” Crowfoot said. “That’s exactly what Sites Reservoir will do.”
Our News Outlet has contacted the Sites Reservoir Project Authority for comment.
