California is getting its first major water storage project in a dozen years, expanding an existing reservoir through federal funding.
Friday, the Department of the Interior and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority improved plans to implement the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project.
Despite taking two years off from Congress, David Valadao (R—Hanford) is getting back to work by introducing new legislation to help keep water flowing in the Central Valley.
Early this month, Valadao introduced the Responsible, No-Cost Extension of Western Water Infrastructure Improvements, or RENEW WIIN, Act, a no-cost, clean extension of operations and storage provisions of the WIIN Act.
At a special meeting Jan. 11 the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors unanimously voted to adopt a resolution authorizing the conversion of the district’s existing long-term Central Valley Project water contract to one that runs in perpetuity. For six decades the district has held a long-term water service contract with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the diversion of up to 7,550 acre-feet annually of CVP water from Folsom reservoir.
Sites Reservoir was awarded $13.7 million in the 2021 federal spending bill, authorized through the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, according to a press release. With the passage of the legislation, Congress has now approved approximately $23.7 million in WIIN Act funding to the Bureau of Reclamation for Sites Reservoir.
The Friant-Kern Canal has received the approval from the federal government to fix a sag in the canal.
The Bureau of Reclamation gave its approval Tuesday – signing a Record of Decision giving environmental clearance for the project – following action from the Trump administration to invest about $5 million to study and begin pre-construction work on the canal.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
