Surface Storage Skepticism

California has used all its good dam sites, according to this column. And dams are unaffordable.

2 minute read

March 8, 2019, 11:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Water Storage

Aiga Eizos / Shutterstock

Columnist George Skelton has a message about California's water storage capacity: California shouldn't build any more dams.

California is building more dams, however, after state officials awarded $2.6 billion in funding for two dams, Sites and Temperance Flat, in 2018.

According to experts cited by Skelton, Sites is the only sensible dam location left in the state. "Sites would be an off-stream reservoir, so it wouldn’t block salmon from their spawning beds," explains Skelton. "A pipe would funnel Sacramento River water 14 miles west to the reservoir, which could hold 1.8 million acre-feet. It would be California’s seventh-largest reservoir."

Most dam sites in California face two major flaws: costs and silt. As for the price tag: "The way it works is this: Beneficiaries pay. Water used by farmers, manufacturers or homeowners is paid for by those people. Water that benefits the public — for recreation and flood control, for fish and the environment — is paid for by taxpayers." More dams mean higher water bills for the public.

Skelton describes silt as the "dirty secret about dams" and a "very major flaw." Reservoirs tend to fill up with silt, gradually reducing a reservoir's capacity as the dam cuts off the flow of water downstream. "A 2009 UC Berkeley report estimated that about 1.8 million acre-feet of storage space had been lost to silt. It found that nearly 190 reservoirs had lost more than 50 percent of their original capacity," according to Skelton.

Skelton made very similar points in a 2017 article, before the funding for Sites and Temperance Flats was approved. Today, Skelton argues that the future of water storage in California is underground. In 2017, he wrote this:

Operate the dams more efficiently. Recharge the aquifers. Expedite groundwater regulation. Capture storm runoff. Recycle. Desalinate.

Build Sites. Compromise and fix the delta.

One thing is not the answer: continuing to plant thirsty nut orchards in the arid San Joaquin Valley.

Monday, March 4, 2019 in The Mercury News

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight