Sites Reservoir One Step Closer to Reality After Project Clears Legal Hurdle

After a Yolo County court denied a petition which sought to prevent the Sites Reservoir project from proceeding, California Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the news June 4.

“California needs more water storage, and we have no time to waste—projects like the Sites Reservoir will capture rain and snow runoff to supply millions of homes with clean drinking water,” Mr. Newsom said in a press release announcing the court’s decision. “We’re approaching this work with urgency, everything from water storage to clean energy and transportation projects.”

According to the project plan, the Sites Reservoir will be constructed by diverting water from the Sacramento River to inundate about 13,200 acres in Glenn and Colusa counties—northwest of Sacramento—using 11 dams, a bridge, two regulating reservoirs to manage water levels, and a new conveyance system to deliver water to nearby communities.

The reservoir will capture water during rainy seasons—storing up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water, enough to supply about 3 million households for one year—and make it available later in the year when water is most in need.

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