WaterTop story
State water board approves the permit for Sites Reservoir in Colusa County
Sites Reservoir is a big project by every measure
- $7 billion
- for the reservoir's cost
- 986,000
- acre-feet of river water a year, at most
- 1.5 million
- acre-feet of storage in the planned lake
- 15,000 acres
- the reservoir would inundate
California water regulators voted unanimously Wednesday to approve a water right permit for Sites Reservoir, a planned lake in Colusa County about 65 miles northwest of Sacramento. The permit allows up to 986,000 acre-feet a year from the Sacramento River, enough for 8.4 million people, officials said. Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the decision, saying: "Now it's time to get shovels in the ground."
Opponents raised environmental and tribal concerns. Keiko Mertz of Friends of the River said the project "delivers a trickle of new water," and Native activists said flooding the valley would destroy sacred sites and ancestral burial grounds.
- Diversion season: November to mid-June, when water is surplus
- Approval covers only Sacramento River diversions
- Funks and Stone Corral creeks: separate hearing begins January 2027
- Hearings ran 32 days over 2 years, with 41 parties
Sites Reservoir moves from permit to construction
- Nov. 4State Water Board votes unanimously to approve the permit.
- Jan. 2027Hearing begins on diverting water from Funks Creek and Stone Corral Creek.
- 2027Construction is scheduled to begin.
- 2034Construction is scheduled to conclude.
- 2035Reservoir has an expected operational date.
The permit also requires bypass flows so water is diverted only during relatively high flows. It restricts diversions during fish migration and lets a portion of the stored water go to wildlife refuges. The Los Angeles Times reports construction is scheduled to begin next year and conclude in 2034, while Courthouse News Service gives an expected operational date of 2035.
