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Jerry Brown: Advancing the Sites Reservoir Project Costa Water District, where I worked in various capacities, including planning, operations, management, and special projects, and in May 2010 became the general manager. I left Contra Costa in December 2019 to start my own firm, Waterology Consulting. During my tenure at Contra Costa, I was heavily involved in the Los Vaqueros expansion project. The opportunity to lead the Sites Project Authority arose, and I started with Sites in April 2020. Municipal Water Leader: What is the history and significance of the Sites Reservoir project?
A view from a hillside in the Sites Valley, where the reservoir will be located. The existing topography creates a natural bowl for storing water.
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he proposed 1.5-million-acre-foot Sites Reservoir is intended to capture storm water flows from the Sacramento River for storage and release in dry years for environmental, residential, and agricultural uses. A reservoir of this scale requires serious, long-term planning efforts that encompass funding, design, and permitting. Jerry Brown was recently hired to lead the project team. Since April 2020, he has served as the executive director of the Sites Project Authority, the joint powers authority (JPA) in charge of advancing the project, which is projected to be complete in 2030. In this interview, Mr. Brown tells Municipal Water Leader about the challenges that the authority is facing and overcoming on the way to construction. Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
8 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER | March 2021
Municipal Water Leader: Who are the members of the JPA? Jerry Brown: Currently, nine different entities are members. Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District (GCID), Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority (TCCA), Colusa County, and Glenn County were among the founding members. The representatives on the authority board represent many of the large agencies and counties in the Sacramento Valley. Our reservoir committee represents 21 water districts throughout the state of California, ranging from the Dunnigan Water District to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s a broad cross-section of irrigators, agricultural districts, and municipal water districts throughout the state. I want to emphasize the importance of the local leadership in gaining local support. Without local support, we wouldn’t be able to do this. Municipal Water Leader: What are the benefits of the project? Jerry Brown: It has several types of benefits and addresses a lot of different areas of need. Of course, water supply is one of those areas. The project will significantly improve the state’s water management system, primarily during drier periods, and restore much-needed flexibility and reliability. The project also has important environmental benefits. A significant portion of the reservoir’s annual water supplies are dedicated to environmental uses, such as improving conditions for delta smelt; preserving cold water pools in Shasta and Oroville Reservoirs; supporting salmon development, spawning, and rearing; and improving the Pacific Flyway habitat for migratory birds. Beyond those important benefits, we are also providing flood protection benefits, mainly for the local community of Maxwell and municipalwaterleader.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SITES PROJECT AUTHORITY.
Jerry Brown: I am the executive director of the Sites Project Authority. I grew up in Salina, Kansas, and migrated to California for college. I got a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at California State University, Northridge. After undergrad, I went to work at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) in the power industry. During my time at LADWP, I got a master’s degree in civil engineering at the University of Southern California. In 1991, I moved to the Bay Area and went to work for the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s wastewater department, known as Special District No. 1. I worked there for approximately 9 years. Then, after completing an MBA at San Jose State University, I went to work for the San Jose Water Company, which is an investor-owned water utility in Silicon Valley. After 2 years there, in 2001, I came to Contra
Jerry Brown: The Sites Reservoir project has a long history, but it wasn’t until 2010, when the Sites Project Authority was formed, that it really got legs and started to develop as a locally led project. The visionary leadership of the agencies that started the JPA got things rolling. Today, because of their foresight, the project is on track to be completed within the next decade.
