California Water Commission increases potential funding for Sites Project — reservoir would boost state’s water storage by 1.5 million acre-feet

The California Water Commission on Wednesday committed $268.9 million in conditional supplemental funding to the Sites Project to offset inflation and for additional public benefits. These funds, administered through the Commission’s Water Storage Investment Program, were made available from Proposition 1 (2014) and Proposition 4 (2024) and are an investment in the public benefits offered by the Sites Project.

The project is a 1.5 million acre-foot off-stream surface storage reservoir located in the Sacramento Valley west of the town of Maxwell.

Once construction is complete, the reservoir will provide the following public benefits
• Capture and store flood flows from the Sacramento River to reduce potential flood damage in the Maxwell area.
• Provide new opportunities for recreation for an anticipated 187,000 visitors annually.
• Deliver water to wildlife refuges, including the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.
• Deliver up to 200,000-acre feet of captured water to create a new water supply for use during emergency-declared droughts.

With this additional funding, the Sites Project is eligible for a total of $1.363 billion in WSIP funding. To receive funding from the Commission, the project must first meet certain voter-mandated requirements, including securing financing, obtaining permits, completing environmental review, and contracting with the State agencies that are overseeing the administration of the public benefits.

“The Sites Project proponents have shown consistent progress in making this reservoir come to fruition. We look forward to seeing them complete the statutory requirements so they can come before us for final funding,” said Commission Chair Fern Steiner. “The California Water Plan calls for a statewide goal of nine million acre-feet of additional water, water conservation, or water storage capacity by 2040. This project will go a long way toward meeting that goal.”

For more information on WSIP, including general project schedules and timelines, visit cwc.ca.gov/Water-Storage.

About the California Water Commission
The nine-member California Water Commission uses its public forum to explore water management issues from multiple perspectives and to formulate recommendations to advise the director of the California Department of Water Resources, and as appropriate, the California Natural Resources Agency, the Governor and Legislature on ways to improve water planning and management in response to California’s changing hydrology. For more information, visit cwc.ca.gov.