Despite the largest dam removal project in U.S. history underway, the federal government has allocated $216 million for California's first major new reservoir in fifty years.
The proposed Sites Reservoir will require two main dams and will inundate 14,000 acres of grassland, primarily sourcing water from the Sacramento River.
Advocates claim the project will address climate change by storing winter rainwater, but critics argue it endangers vital salmon habitats and serves wealthy agribusiness interests.
The project, fast-tracked by the governor, is structured like real estate, allowing stakeholders to buy water shares.
Key quote:
"These winter flows are the only thing that’s keeping these really at-risk species alive and these ecosystems functioning."
— Ann Willis, California director of American Rivers
In the wake of a series of destructive storms in late December and early January, California’s long-ailing mountain reservoirs have risen, satellite images from NASA show.
