WCN_Dec17WEB

for the purpose of it to be released into
California’s water system. With Temperance
Flat Reservoir requesting funds
just over $1.3 billion dollars, the project
proponents identify that
the dam and reservoir
project, to be located in
the back part of Millerton
Lake, would produce
nearly 1.26 million
acre-feet of storage. The
additional storage of
Temperance Flat Reservoir
has seemed increasingly
valuable over the
course of this year as
Central Valley residents
witnessed 2.5 million
acre-feet in emergency
releases rush down the San Joaquin River,
much of the water going unneeded
and ultimately drained to the ocean.
So what are the next steps? Now
that applications, including hundreds
of pages of complex climate change
modeling, are sitting with the California
Water Commission, the real work now
begins. Commission staff will comb over
applications and will determine each
project’s public benefit ratio which will
play a large role in early funding decisions,
which are anticipated to be made
in June of 2018. Much of the WSIP process
is built around a structured process.
It is anticipated that these calculations
will bring Sites and Temperance to the
top of the applicant list due to their size,
scale and large amount of public benefits.
However, as much as we would like
to rely on the outcomes of these scorings
and calculations it is incredibly important
to understand that at the end of the
day the nine member California Water
Commission have the powerful ability to
exert “discretionary authority,” meaning
the work produced by commission staff
is only taken into consideration when
funding decisions occur, and will not be
the sole basis of funding allocations.
It is exciting to see movement on
securing large aboveground storage
projects in California. This effort is a
long road and the California Prop 1B
Water Bond is not the only stop. Talks
of at least another two water bonds have
begun, with likelihood of appearing on
the upcoming ballot. Throughout the
WSIP process and now with talks of
the state voting on spending more tax
payer dollars on additional water bonds,
the message remains loud and clear…
California’s water system is broken and
investments in storage is being demanded
by not only the agriculture but the
public as well.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
December 2017
www.wcngg.com
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