California Water Commission Awards Sites Reservoir $10.9 Million in
Early Prop 1 Funding
Maxwell, CA – This week, the California Water Commission (Commission) awarded the Sites Reservoir Project (Project) $10.9 million in early funding from the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP). This additional funding will support the Sites Project Authority’s work on permitting and environmental documents, which helps the Project meet the public benefit requirements of Proposition 1.
“This additional funding will help the Authority secure key federal and state permits that will advance Sites Reservoir closer to construction,” said Fritz Durst, Chair of the Sites Project Authority Board of Directors. “We’ve made significant permitting and environmental progress in the last few years and are grateful to the California Water Commission for their continued support as we work to secure a water right for Sites Reservoir.”
The Commission’s Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP), funded by Proposition 1, provides funding for five major water storage projects throughout the state, including Sites Reservoir. Last month, the Commission provided inflationary adjustments to the Project’s Maximum Conditional Eligibility Determination (MCED), making Sites Reservoir eligible for additional early funding.
Sites Reservoir will increase water supply throughout California and provide, for the first time, environmental benefits by storing water specifically to support native wildlife and their habitat during drought periods. The Project will provide an additional 1.5 million acre-feet of storage capacity, substantially improving the state’s water flexibility, reliability, and resiliency in drier years.
