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Garamendi introduces bill to fund Sites Reservoir

March 4, 2019

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Solano, introduced the Sites Reservoir Protection Act Thursday to provide federal support for the building of Sites Reservoir and other water infrastructures in the Central Valley.

The act, also known as House Resolution 1453, would direct the Bureau of Reclamation to complete a feasibility study for the project Colusa and Glenn counties. The proposed reservoir aims to provide 1.8 million acre-feet of off-stream water storage capacity for California and help local communities prepare for droughts, according to a news release.

The reservoir would be owned and operated by the Sites Joint Powers Authority, a regional consortium of local water agencies and counties formed in 2010. More than $1.2 billion in public funding has been assigned to the project, including $816 million in Proposition 1 funding.

If necessary, the act would also authorize additional funding and technical support for the Sites Reservoir project.

"Construction of Sites Reservoir would bring California closer to achieving a drought-resilient water system," Garamendi said in a statement. "Our state needs to make forward-looking investments to meet its future water supply needs, and Sites will benefit farmers, precious ecosystems, and our communities. I am proud to sponsor the bipartisan Sites Reservoir Project Act, building upon the nearly $1.2 billion in public funding for the project secured to date."

Garamendi's co-sponsor on the act is Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale.

"Water storage projects, such as Sites Reservoir, are absolutely critical to securing the future of our state's water supply," he said in a statement. "It's important that we have the infrastructure to save more water during wet years so we can prepare for the dry ones California sees all too often. Sites is the most effective project in the state, providing more storage per dollar invested than any other proposed project. I'm proud of this bipartisan effort and will continue to fight to ensure this much-needed project moves forward."

More information on the proejct can be found at sitesproject.org.