To the great relief of Hicks Valley residents, Marin’s municipal water district has deprioritized a proposed expansion of the Soulajule Reservoir as an option for coping with shortages during droughts. Although raising the reservoir would have flooded several ranches, it previously seemed to be Marin Water’s preferred option for expanding supply. “One year ago, I never would have imagined this outcome,” said Carol Dolcini, whose family has owned a 1,100-acre ranch in Hicks Valley for five generations. “It looked like the Soulajule was on the fast track.” At a Tuesday meeting, the board opted to build a pipeline from the Russian River to the Nicasio Reservoir. Because it would only be tapped during droughts, the additional water would not exceed the reservoir’s current capacity. Along with smaller projects, the pipeline would provide enough supply to meet the goals of the district’s water supply roadmap. The board chose the pipeline from four alternatives, including desalination and expanding Soulajule or Kent Lake, which would not inundate private lands. Hicks Valley residents hoped the board would remove the Soulajule from future consideration; instead, directors agreed to consider Kent Lake first if reservoir expansion was looked at in the future. “Soulajule basically got pushed down to almost the bottom of the list,” Ms. Dolcini said. “Hicks Valley can take a breath and go back to daily life and not worry about being flooded—for now.”