The California Water Resources Control Board Plans to Vote to Approve Sites Reservoir on Nov. 4th

Dear Bay Delta and Sacramento River supporters, 

On Nov 4th California's Water Resource Control Board will vote at a meeting at the Cal. EPA building in Sacramento to approve a Water Right for Sites Reservoir that has been stripped of many of it's protections for water quality and salmon.  There will a zoom link to this meeting. For more information contact regina@waterprotector.org or go to https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/board_info/calendar/ closer to the meeting. 

We need you to help us oppose political interference in  the massive water rights (diversion) permit for Sites Reservoir on the Sacramento River. The proposed 13,200-acre reservoir in the foothills west of the Sacramento River would harm salmon, water quality and the drinking water supply for millions of Californians. It would also help to privatize a critical water supply for California and flood thousands of acres of cultural sites and even Tribal cemeteries. 

Please join us in asking California's Water Board to deny the current water rights application that could drain the Sacramento River and harm the Bay Delta and instead consider the original more protective water rights application. water rights application. 

It is outrageous that the Water Board is considering a massive new water right for the Sites Authority in watersheds where five times more water is allocated than exists to powerful water districts, like the Metropolitan Water District, without protective measures for water quality and flows. A previous version of this water right included some weak, but common sense measures to protect water quality and fisheries; however, many of these measures have been stripped due to political reasons, not evidence. This is very upsetting because a year long hearing and massive expert evidence led to the few protective measures being stripped. These included bypass flow protection, limitations on what Sites can divert, protections for entry into California's Voluntary Agreements, and a shorter diversion season to protect fisheries.