Plan for California’s Largest Reservoir in Decades Gets Big Funding Boost

The effort to build California’s largest new reservoir in decades has received a welcome commitment of cash — nearly $220 million — which will help keep the project on track to break ground as soon as next year.

Planned for 70 miles northwest of Sacramento, the proposed Sites Reservoir won the bulk of the funding because plans to expand the Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County fell through, freeing up money in the state’s 2014 water bond. The remainder of the money for Sites came from last year’s state climate bond.