This will be the most significant water proposal in Northern California in over 20 years. The Sites Project is a first step in preventing a possible water crisis. Just as the State has blocked the building of necessary generating facilities to reach our energy demand, significant water storage has not been developed in over 20 years to reach our water demand. In my roll as Vice Chairman of the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee, I have insisted that additional storage in Northern California is a crucial first step in solving the State's water and environmental problems.
Water is the North State's most prized resource and more supply is crucial to protecting our issues.
Growing environmental and municipal demand on water has considerably suppressed our water availability for agriculture and recreation. Our quest for new supply doesn't end with the Sites Reservoir. Being that water storage facilities take years to develop, we must continue to search out new locations for surface storage. The most difficult element of adding new surface storage is fostering the political will to do what is necessary. Each of us must work to insure that we can overcome the extreme environmental community's objection to a common sense solution to meeting California's water needs.