Fury ignites among California residents calling new reservoir plans a ‘cultural genocide’

California residents are furious at the West Coast state’s largest reservoir project in approximately 50 years, with one branding the project a ‘cultural genocide.’

The State Water Resources Control Board approved a permit for the proposed Sites Reservoir, which would be able to hold 1.5 million acre-feet of water diverted from the Sacramento River, on Wednesday.

The reservoir would be capable of supplying water for 4.5 million homes per year and has been branded a ‘smart investment’ by outgoing California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.

However, some Californians used Wednesday’s 10-hour meeting in Sacramento to push back against the multimillion dollar plan.

Critics of the northern Sacramento Valley project have claimed that it would cover some tribes’s ancestral territory and destroy longstanding sites.

Amanda Mitchum, an official with the Cachil Dehe Band of Wintun Indians, said the planned reservoir was a ‘cultural genocide.’

‘If the water board approves this permit, understand that you are approving the erasure of our past generations and our generations to come,’ Mitchum said.

She added that the reservoir would ‘literally be covering up the footprints and trails that my father walked with his mother,’ per the outlet.

A water specialist for tribal nations, Julian Palmisano, said the project would be a ‘scar’ on future generations.

Kasil Willie, the policy director at Save California Salmon, also criticized the project for its supposed ‘sacrifice of tribal cultural resources’ and called for stronger safeguards.

‘We’ve been advocating and asking for protections for cultural resources from the state water board,’ she said.

The reservoir would be California’s first since the New Melones Lake was completed in 1979.

So far, the cost of the project has fluctuated. An estimated $6.2 billion cost was projected last year, which exceeded the previous $4.5 billion mark.

The executive director of the Sites Reservoir Project Authority, Jerry Brown, said the reservoir’s cost was estimated to close around $7 billion as of this Thursday.

‘As time passes, the cost of construction escalates,’ Brown told the outlet. ‘It’s a lot like inflation, not that we are changing our cost estimate.’

The Sites Project Authority first applied for a water permit in March 2022. It revised its proposal multiple times as advocates criticized the plan.

Brown said the permit went through the ‘most comprehensive and complete review of this kind of request that’s ever occurred in California.’

‘We did everything we possibly could to understand and consider the concern and make adjustments where we could,’ Brown said.

He added that ‘there are trade-offs that have to be made.’

Gov. Newsom called the reservoir a ‘priority,’ adding that the state ‘can’t afford to keep waiting for the water storage we need.’

‘The approval shows California can get big infrastructure projects moving again,’ Newsom said Thursday.

Wade Crowfoot, California’s natural resources secretary, said the state’s water system ‘was built for a climate that no longer exists.’

‘To adapt, we need to capture water during huge storms and wet winters to get us through worsening droughts,’ Crowfoot said. ‘That’s exactly what Sites Reservoir will do.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Sites Reservoir Project Authority for comment.