By Dan Bacher

Gavin Newsom continued his “California Jobs First” tour last week with a press event at a farm in Colusa in the Sacramento Valley where the governor promoted efforts to build Sites Reservoir. However, similar to Newsom’s embattled Delta tunnel, Sites is a water project that’ is strongly opposed by a broad coalition of indigenous tribes, environmental groups and fishing organizations.

“The future of California’s water supply flows right through Colusa County – and with that comes enormous economic opportunity and more jobs,” Newsom asserted at the event. “Farms like this one, and all across the state, have led the charge by transitioning to smart water practices that not only save water but also conserve critical habitats.”

He added, “But we have to do more to protect our water supply for generations to come: That’s why we’re building more critical water infrastructure, faster to be able to store and move water for the hotter hots and the drier dries.”

In his remarks, Newsom also addressed working with the Trump administration to build Sites Reservoir.  

“And we’re gonna get Sites done and we’re gonna continue to advocate for federal resources,” the govern said. “Donald Trump, this is your kind of project (chuckles). We’re gonna continue to advocate for local water agencies to enthusiastically embrace this.” 

Addressing widespread criticism of his support for the Sites Reservoir, Newsom went on to contend, “We have got to get out of our own damn way. The world we invented is competing against us. We’re consumed by process. And we’re paralyzed by process, and litigation, and NIMBYism. And people frankly taking advantage of the public. And as a consequence we fall behind.”

Newsom further stressed his administration wants to be “doubling down on efforts to replenish the state’s critical groundwater supplies.”  

According to the Governor’s Office, Davis Ranches, a farm started in the 1800s, became an example for Newsom about sustainable operations and crucial floodplain habitat restoration.

The governor has bene championing the controversial Sites Reservoir as he’s met with local leaders of the California Jobs First Capital Region collaborative, getting input from about their economic priorities.

Newsom’s stop in Colusa was just miles away from where construction of Sites Reservoir is planned. The Governor’s Office maintains the reservoir “is critical to California’s Water Supply Strategy and meeting California’s goal of expanding above and below ground water storage capacity by 4 million acre feet. “

Late last year, Newsom certified the project for so-called “streamlining, saving it from years of litigation delays.”

Sites is proposed to be a 14,0000acre private reservoir in the lower Sacramento River/Upper Bay Delta near Maxwell, California which will depend on large-scale water diversions from the Sacramento River, according to project opponents. It would become one of the largest reservoirs in the state. Like the Delta Tunnel, it would be designed to mainly deliver water to Southern California and South of the Delta corporate agribusiness interests. California has promised over $816 million in taxpayer money to the project.

In response to Newsom’s praise for Sites, critics of the reservoir note that Sacramento River water is “already over-allocated by five times its availability and that the reservoir will add to climate change emissions.” Critics also say the tribal impacts, water supply quality, and environmental harms would be “devastating,” especially as Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations move closer and closer to extinction.

“Our governor has decided to sideline our most important public processes in order to build a 1.5 million-acre-foot reservoir on lands that are sacred to California Native American tribes,” said Regina Chichizola of Save California Salmon. “All Californians should be concerned about privatization of our public water resources. It is obvious the interests of water brokers, big ag, and Southern California water districts mean more to the governor than justice for Native American tribes and California’s most important public resource, clean water.”

Chichizola added that tribes recently testified about addressing significant concerns that pertain to the reservoir’s footprint. They highlighted the “lack of meaningful tribal consultation on the project” and advised that the reservoir would flood tribal cultural resources, Native American graves and sacred sites, and further degrade water quality and salmon runs, harming an important Indigenous food source and traditional lifeway systems.

They also testified that the reservoir “threatens tribal water and fishing rights and would build new diversion pumps to take fresh water from the Sacramento River and release warm, polluted water into the Bay Delta.”

Sherri Norris from California Indian Environmental Alliance did not mix words about what had happened.

“It is offensive that the state so poorly consulted with tribes and then congratulated tribes for stomaching the state’s neglect and continued abuse of their requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),” Norris pointed out. “Tribes are still in need of Consultation and this project remains in violation of CEQA regardless of how the agencies want to spin it.” 

In addition to that testimony, scientists testified that Sites Reservoir threatened to release toxic algae, warm water and mercury into the state’s water supply, according to Chichizola. These experts warned discharges of polluted water have the potential to adversely impact downstream tribal lands and water quality, along with the drinking water for over 25 million Californians and the health of local ecosystems. 

“Tribes and other project opponents have valid concerns including contamination of drinking water supplies, salmon extinction, and inundation of lands that hold irreplaceable Native American sacred sites and cultural resources,” concluded Kasil Willie, Staff Attorney for Save California Salmon. “The project, as proposed, will cause irreparable harm to tribal cultural resources, including ancestral village sites and burial sites. Governor Newsom should apologize to tribes for his statement.”