Newsom advances Sites Reservoir to expand water storage

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the Sites Reservoir infrastructure project is advancing and received a nearly $219 million funding increase from the California Water Commission.

• Main action: The state advanced the Sites Reservoir project with a nearly $219 million funding increase from the California Water Commission to address added costs from delays (inflation and construction cost increases); with this infusion, Sites is eligible for $1.094 billion in Proposition 1 funding and the total project cost is estimated up to $6.8 billion, of which roughly $780 million is expected to be financed through the federal government.
• Background & implementation details: Sites Reservoir will capture Sacramento River water in wet seasons and store up to 1.5 million acre-feet (enough for over 4.5 million homes for a year); the administration has streamlined approvals (defeated a CEQA legal challenge) and announced a legislative package to fast-track the Delta Conveyance Project to improve conveyance and complement Sites; no specific construction start date or completion timeline is provided in the release.