A plan put in motion more than 10 years ago that some officials say will help offset the effects of future droughts took a step forward Friday when officials from the Bureau of Reclamation released the draft environmental impact report for a proposed reservoir near Fresno.
Pitched as a way to store more water during wet years, the proposed dam would be constructed at Temperance Flat, about 25 miles northeast of Fresno. The public has 45 days to comment on the report, either in writing or at either of two public hearings scheduled in October.
The dam is a topic of heated discussion among water experts. Representative Devin Nunes (R-Tulare), who introduced the bill that began the study in 2003, said the project won’t do anything for parched cities and farms in the Valley unless the current San Joaquin River settlement is changed.
“The 2009 [river settlement] took Temperance Flat off the table,” he said. “There’d be a big dam with no water behind it.”
Officials representing the Friant Water Authority, however, say otherwise.
“With or without the river settlement, this [dam] will provide a benefit to the San Joaquin Valley,” said Ron Jacobsma, the general manager of the authority.