Sacramento – The California Water Commission Friday posted its staff evaluation of the public benefit of the 11 projects vying for Proposition 1 water storage bond money, and the numbers were far lower than the applicants had claimed.
For example the proponents of Sites Reservoir, the off-stream reservoir proposed west of Maxwell, had claimed each dollar of public money invested would result in $2.11 in public benefit. Water Commission staff said the actual benefit would be 40 cents on the dollar.
Applicants had claimed benefits as high as $6.10. Four proposals came back at zero, and one at 1 cent. The public benefit of the Temperance Flat project was put at a dime on a dollar. None of the applications had a public benefit higher than 75 cents on the dollar.
The posting kicks off an appeal process which runs through Feb. 23.
“We are not kicking folks out,” Joe Yun, executive officer of the commission told the San Jose Mercury News earlier. “This is an expression of additional information that needs to come.”
Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion bond measure approved by voters in November 2014, included $2.7 billion for water storage projects. The 11 proposals were asking for $5.7 billion.
The money cannot pay to just increase the amount of water stored. Instead the language of Proposition 1 limits the money’s use to achieve five public benefits: ecosystem benefits, water quality, flood control, emergency response and recreation.
The Water Commission has until the end of 2021 to actually allocate the funds.
Here’s how the projects panned out:
SITES RESERVOIR
The Sites Project Authority is seeking $1.7 billion from Proposition 1 to help build a 1.8 million acre-foot reservoir. Water would be pumped into it from the Sacramento River during high winter and spring flows to be available during the dry months of summer and autumn.
The documents posted by the Water Commission Friday indicated the proponents claimed the investment would result on $3.5 billion in benefits. The staff put the benefits at $663 million.
The value of ecosystem benefits from the project was cut from $3.2 billion to $421 million, and flood control was cut from $135 million to $45 million.
The staff report specifically asked for more information to support the claimed ecosystem benefits, and Sites proponents have three weeks to provide that to seek to get the number revised.
Commission staff actually increased the claimed recreational value of Sites from $192 million to $197 million.
TEMPERANCE FLAT RESERVOIR
The San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority is seeking $1.3 billion for a $2.7 billion project to build a new 319-foot high dam with a 1.33 million acre-foot reservoir on the San Joaquin River, upstream from the existing Friant Dam.
Claimed public benefits were $2.86 per dollar invested; staff put the benefits at 10 cents on the dollar.
PACHECO RESERVOIR EXPANSION
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is seeking $485 million for a $969 million project to replace an existing 100-foot-tall dam on Pacheco Creek, between Gilroy and Los Banos off Highway 152, with a new 319-foot dam just upstream. Storage would increase from 6,000 acre-feet to 140,000 acre-feet.
Claimed public benefits were $2.43 per dollar invested; staff put the benefits at 36 cents on the dollar.
CHINO BASIN STORAGE AND EXCHANGE PROJECT
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency is seeking $480 million for a $480 million underground storage project southeast of Ontario in San Bernadino County that would draw water from local wastewater treatment plants and a contaminated groundwater basin, treat it, and put it in the ground. Claimed public benefits were $1.72 for each dollar invested; staff put the benefits at 71 cents on the dollar.
TULARE LAKE STORAGE AND FLOODWATER PROTECTION PROJECT
Semitropic Water Storage District is seeking $452 million for a $603 million project that would capture excess Kings River winter flows and transport the water to a new surface reservoir adjacent to the California Aqueduct near Kettleman City in Kings County.
Claimed public benefits were $1.62 per dollar invested; staff put the benefits at 1 cent on the dollar.
LOS VAQUEROS RESERVOIR EXPANSION
The Contra Costa Water District is seeking $434 million for a $795 million project to enlarge Los Vaqueros Reservoir, off-stream reservoir in eastern Contra Costa County, from 160,000 acre-feet to 275,000 acre-feet.
Claimed public benefits were $3.58 per dollar; staff put the benefits at 46 cents on the dollar.
SOUTH SACRAMENTO RECYCLED WATER PROJECT
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District is seeking $304 million for a $373 million project that would treat wastewater and store it underground.
Claimed public benefits were $2.85 for each dollar invested; staff put the benefits at 75 cents on the dollar.
WILLOW SPRINGS WATER GROUNDWATER BANK
The Southern California Water Bank Authority is seeking $306 million for a $343 million project expand an existing Southern California groundwater bank from 500,000 to 1 million acre-feet, in the Antelope Valley northwest of Palmdale.
Claimed public benefits were $2.60 for each dollar invested; staff put the benefits at zero.
PURE WATER SAN DIEGO
The city of San Diego Public Utilities Department is seeking $219 million for a $1.2 billion local reservoir and water recycling project in northern San Diego. Claimed public benefits were $6.09 per dollar invested; staff put the benefits at zero.
KERN FAN GROUNDWATER STORAGE PROJECT
The Irvine Ranch Water District/Rosedale-Rio Bravo Water Storage District is seeking $86 million for a $171 million project to expand an existing groundwater bank in Kern County, about 15 miles west of Bakersfield.
Claimed public benefits were $1.47 for each dollar invested; staff put the benefits at 58 cents on the dollar.
CENTENNIAL DAM
The Nevada Irrigation District is seeking $12 million for a new $324 million, 110,000-acre-foot reservoir on the Bear River between the existing Combie and Rollins Reservoirs, on the border between Nevada and Plumas counties.
Claimed public benefits were $4.19 per dollar invested; staff put the benefits at zero.
Reach City Editor Steve Schoonover at 896-7750.