Massive CA Reservoir Fast-Tracked By Newsom

SACRAMENTO, CA — Gov. Gavin Newsom this week moved to fast-track a massive reservoir that, if completed, could hold enough water to serve 3 million households’ annual needs.

The governor accelerated the Sites Reservoir project under Senate Bill 149, which was signed into law earlier in 2023 and is designed to expedite certain infrastructure work by requiring California Environmental Quality Act challenges to be decided within 270 days if feasible.

“We’re cutting red tape to build more faster,” Newsom said in a news release. “These are projects that will address our state’s biggest challenges faster, and the Sites Reservoir is fully representative of that goal — making sure Californians have access to clean drinking water and making sure we’re more resilient against future droughts.”

The reservoir, which would hold up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water, is intended to help the state navigate climate change, weather extremes and water scarcity, according to the governor’s office. It has received $46.75 million in early state funding and is eligible for $875.4 million through Proposition 1, but has a total estimated cost of $4 billion. Its environmental impact review and statement were finalized last week.

Proposed north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Sites Reservoir would capture winter runoff from uncontrolled streams below existing reservoirs in the Sacramento Valley, increasing Northern California’s water storage capacity by as much as 15 percent, according to the Sites Reservoir Authority.

It would be the first such reservoir to be built in the state in almost 50 years as well as the eighth largest, supplying water from the Bay Area to Southern California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, which reported the reservoir could be completed by 2032.

The Sites Reservoir is the first project to receive certification under SB 149.

“SB 149 provides a needed opportunity for essential water projects to move from planning to reality without years of legal delays,” Fritz Durst, chairman of the Sites Project Authority, said in a news release. “Sites Reservoir has gone through a rigorous environmental review process and the project we are considering today will help the state meet key climate change goals and create a more resilient water supply for Californians and the environment.”

Objecting to the project is the Sierra Club of California, which noted the already declining Bay-Delta ecosystem.

“Building new dams and reservoirs is an idea of the past, and perpetuates the very challenges we need to address,” Senior Policy Strategist Erin Woolley said in a news release. “California must do more to address long-standing water management challenges at the local level and ensure that all Californians have access to clean, affordable drinking water.”