The sites reservoir is a proposed off-stream reservoir that will be filled by pumping water from the sacramento river

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $30,000,000 Cooperative Agreement under the Water Storage Enhancement program (CFDA 15.574) to the Sites Project Authority on September 12, 2023. The purpose of the award is to fund activities to advance the development of the proposed Sites Reservoir project in California. Key products and services to be delivered include engineering design and conveyance design, geological and geotechnical studies, environmental planning and permitting support, operations modeling, real estate functions, communication efforts, and program support. This funding will allow the Sites Project Authority to update and complete the draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), conduct feasibility and preliminary design work, and perform necessary technical and operational analyses. Once constructed, the Sites Reservoir is intended to substantially increase surface water storage in the Sacramento Valley, improving water supply and reliability, providing water for wildlife refuges, enhancing anadromous fish survival, and contributing to ecosystem restoration in California.

Activities

Water infrastructure improvements for the nation (wiin) act funding will allow the project to progress by incorporating necessary services including engineering design and conveyance design advancement, geological and geotechnical engineering functions, project permitting and environment planning support, mitigation, operations simulation modeling, real estate functions, communication efforts, program operations support, and program support. The project scope is funding-limited, and deliverables are identified based on the level of funding available to the project. The scope outlined in the following sections will allow the authority to update and complete the draft environmental impact report environmental impact statement (EIR EIS) and further the development of feasibility- and preliminary-level designs. IT will provide needed staffing resources to augment authority staffing and further the communication and real estate needs of the project.projected deliverables or outcomes: improve water supply and water supply reliability. The water stored and released from sites reservoir will allow for improved water supply and reliability for participants in the project and california on the state, regional, and local level.provide incremental level 4 water supply for refuges. The state has committed to invest in incremental level 4 water supply for refuges. Level 4 refuge demand is located primarily south of the sacramentosan joaquin delta (delta).improve the survival of anadromous fish. The authority is supportive of actions that benefit salmon, steelhead, and other anadromous fish species of concern in the sacramento river watershed. Exchanges with reclamation enable the conservation of the coldwater pool in shasta and folsom lakes. The species benefit from improved coldwater pool management, lower river water temperatures, and supplemental flows to prevent the dewatering of redds.enhance the delta ecosystem. Water released from sites reservoir would be conveyed to the yolo bypass TOE drain to convey biomass to the delta to help supply food for delta smelt.provide flood damage reduction. Once completed, sites DAM will reduce the likelihood of flooding in the stone corral creek watershed, and golden gate DAM will improve flood damage reduction for extreme events on funks creek.

Intended beneficiaries

Funding moves the sites project closer to providing california the benefits the reservoir project is being designed to provide. These benefits include improved water supply, improved water supply reliability, incremental level 4 water supply for refuges, improved survival of anadromous fish, enhancement of the delta ecosystem, provide opportunities for recreation, and provide flood damage reduction. These benefits reach the general public, the environment, the economy, as well as local, state and federal agencies.subrecipient activities (if known or specified at time of award): n a