Congress approves $80M for Sites Reservoir
SACRAMENTO » Congress approved a government funding bill last week that threw $80 million at the Sites Reservoir in California in order to keep the project on track.
The project is meant to hold 1.5 million acre-feet of water for the state to be used during droughts for agriculture, community usage and environmental need, said a press release issued Tuesday by the organization behind the Sites Reservoir.
“We thank our federal representatives and project partners, such as the Bureau of Reclamation, for their continued support of Sites Reservoir, especially as the drought situation in California becomes more severe,” said Fritz Durst, chair of the Sites Project Authority. “This critical funding helps us to continue advancing Sites Reservoir as a drought resilient water storage solution for the people of California.”
The new funding, according to Durst, will go to planning and engineering costs for a portion of the project.
“Flexible water storage is needed now more than ever,” said Jeff Davis, chair of the Sites Reservoir Committee.
“Flexible water storage is needed now more than ever. Sites has a unique collaboration between local, state and federal partners for an affordable, permittable and buildable water storage project for California.” — Jeff Davis, chair of the Sites Reservoir Committee
“Sites has a unique collaboration between local, state and federal partners for an affordable, permittable and buildable water storage project for California.”
The Sites Reservoir, which would be located in both Glenn and Colusa counties, is a facility that does not require a dam and instead collects storm water from the Sacramento River, the release said.