The Sites Reservoir project has received additional funding support from the Bureau of Reclamation. Last week, the project received $80 million through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN Act). The announcement comes after an additional award of $30 million was provided to the project through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Thanks to the continued support of our federal elected officials and Commissioner Touton, we are maintaining momentum on Sites Reservoir and advancing critical project milestones,” Sites Project Authority Chairman Fritz Durst said in a news release. “Sites will help ensure California has a reliable water supply in the face of prolonged drought uncertainty.”
The reservoir project will increase water storage capacity in the state by 1.5 million acre-feet by capturing excess stormwater from the Sacramento River. Sites Project Authority has also been invited to apply for a $2.2 billion low-interest loan through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The entire project is estimated to cost about $5.2 billion.
The funding announcement comes as California experiences a series of significant storm systems. Flooding in areas of the state has once again sparked public discussion as to how California can better manage water. “It’s time we manage water differently in California. More of the same will not provide relief from severe drought— but Sites Reservoir is a new source of drought year water that will provide tangible benefits to California’s environment, people and farms,” Durst noted.
Through the last month of rain events, water supplies in some of the state’s largest reservoirs have increased by an average of approximately 10 percent of their holding capacity. The snowpack in the state has already greatly improved since the beginning of last month. According to the California Department of Water Resources, the statewide snowpack is at 76 percent of the April 1 average.
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