California water storage receives additional funding from Feds

Last week the Department of the Interior announced additional funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda for water storage and conveyance projects in California.

The B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion project will receive $125 million for the enhancement of off-stream storage capability. The project is in addition to the B.F. Sisk Safety of Dams Modification Project and is in partnership with the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority. While the Safety of Dams Modification project continues, Reclamation continues to coordinate with project partners and other agencies, on environmental permitting and geotechnical investigations required for the technical design. Once completed, the project will develop approximately 130,000 acre-feet of additional storage of water that can be delivered to water contractors and wildlife refuges.

The other water storage project, the Sites Reservoir will receive $129 million that will develop up to 1.5 million acre-feet of new water storage on the Sacramento River system located west of Maxwell, California. The reservoir will deliver multiple benefits including cold water for salmon by using new and existing facilities to move water in and out of the reservoir, with ultimate release to the Sacramento River system via existing canals, a new pipeline near Dunnigan, and the Colusa Basin Drain.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has allowed us to begin work on long overdue water storage projects, providing clean, reliable drinking water to families, farmers and Tribes throughout the West,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The investments we’re announcing today will continue to fund these important efforts, expediting essential water storage projects and providing increased water security to Western communities.”