A plan to expand the Soulajule Reservoir, a move that would inundate several Hicks Valley ranches, appears to be losing favor with the managers of Marin’s municipal water district.

In a presentation last week, Marin Water staff said that building a new pipeline to convey water from Sonoma County is the most efficient near-term option for boosting supply during droughts.

Three of the five directors appeared to favor removing Soulajule from their list of immediate…