Water reservoir in the works for Northern California

The Sites Reservoir Joints Power Authority, located in Northern California, is looking at building a $2.5 to $4 billion reservoir near Maxwell. The reservoir would flood the Antelope Valley, a cattle ranging community.

The proposed project would store anywhere from 1.3 to 1.8 million ace-feet of water. The reservoir would supply 350,000 to 500,000 acre-feet of water a year. One acre-foot – 325,851 gallons – can cover one acre of land at one foot deep.

The water agency is looking for Proposition 1 funding, which was approved by voters last November. Although the agency could receive money from those funds, no more than half the cost of the project can be provided.

“We have succeeded in getting this project up and rolling,” said Fritz Durst of Reclamation District 108.

The next phase will include looking for investors who are willing to help build the project. Investors, primarily other water agencies, would be allotted water from the reservoir. It’s estimated that 260,000 to 280,000 acre-feet of water will be available.

According to Durst, water from the reservoir could reach a price tag of $500 to $700 an acre-foot, a price tag junior water rights holders have been paying just to keep their trees alive.

The final proposal is due January 2017 in order to qualify for water bond funds from Proposition 1.