Trump administration approves plan backed by Newsom to build largest California reservoir in 50 years

"The Trump administration on Friday gave its approval for plans to build Sites Reservoir, a vast 13-mile-long off-stream lake north of Sacramento that would provide water to 500,000 acres of Central Valley farmland and 24 million people, including residents of Santa Clara County, parts of the East Bay and Los Angeles. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a document called a "record of decision" for the project, signing off on its environmental review process."

"Planned in the sweeping open pasturelands of rural Colusa County, near the town of Maxwell, if completed Sites would be the largest new reservoir built in California since 1979, when the federal government opened New Melones Lake in the Sierra Foothills between Sonora and Angels Camp. Estimated to cost $6.2 to $6.8 billion, the project is strongly backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration has earmarked $1.1 billion in state bond funds for it,"

""This decision affirms what our extensive analysis has shown - that Sites Reservoir can reliably capture and store water in a way that supports both people and the environment," said Jerry Brown, executive director of the Sites Project Authority. "With this additional environmental approval, we can now leverage all available construction funding and are focused on moving with intensity and purpose toward construction.""

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a record of decision approving Sites Reservoir's environmental review, enabling progress toward construction. Planned in Colusa County near Maxwell, the 13-mile off‑stream lake would store water for 500,000 acres of Central Valley farmland and 24 million people across regions including Santa Clara County, parts of the East Bay and Los Angeles. Estimated cost ranges from $6.2 to $6.8 billion. State and federal financial support includes $1.1 billion in California bond funds and a previously approved $2.2 billion federal loan. Project leaders and officials described the decision as a major milestone and emphasized readiness to pursue construction funding.

Read at The Mercury News