? Purpose the purpose and primary public benefits of the water bank are anticipated to include: ? Water supply reliability benefits o improves long-term regional reliability and provides statewide…

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation awarded a Cooperative Agreement to the Regional Water Authority for $3.185 million on December 1, 2025, under the Water Storage Enhancement program (CFDA 15.574). The award funds development of a regional water bank serving Sacramento County, California, with performance ending November 30, 2027.

The water bank initiative will advance water supply reliability, drought resiliency, groundwater sustainability, and climate change adaptation. The work builds on prior planning studies and incorporates lessons from existing conjunctive use and groundwater substitution transfer activities in the region. Anticipated benefits include increased surface storage operational flexibility, higher Folsom Reservoir cold-water pool capacity, enhanced flows on the lower American River, improved ecosystem and fish habitat support, elevated groundwater baseflow in regional creeks and streams, maintained surface and groundwater quality, and economic opportunities through infrastructure investment and job creation while supporting affordability for disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities. The Regional Water Authority will coordinate with local partners, investors, the public, and third parties in developing and implementing water bank operating principles.

? Purpose the purpose and primary public benefits of the water bank are anticipated to include: ? Water supply reliability benefits o improves long-term regional reliability and provides statewide water supply opportunities. O contributes to surface storage operational flexibility by increasing the accessible combined storage as well as reducing demands (reliance) on surface storage during dry conditions. O increases drought resiliency. O supports long-term groundwater sustainability. O supports climate change adaptation. ? Ecosystem/fish and wildlife benefits o supports healthy ecosystem function by creating opportunities to increase folsom reservoir storage and its cold-water pool, and/or increase flows on the lower american river. O supports fish and wildlife habitat, listed species protection, and ecological resiliency. O increases net groundwater elevations, thereby increasing net amount of baseflow in creeks, streams, and rivers. ? Water quality benefits o supports maintaining quality of surface water and groundwater in the region. ? Economic benefits o provides opportunities for investment in infrastructure and other projects/programs related to regional water supply reliability, resiliency, and affordability (e.g., use of revenue generated to build or rehabilitate infrastructure thereby creating jobs, use of revenue generated to offset rate increases to support affordability, especially for disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities). ? Activities to be performed water bank development will build on previous and ongoing planning studies, incorporate experience gained through past and ongoing conjunctive use practices in the region, reflect lessons learned from water banking and groundwater substitution transfer activities, and espouse operating principles deemed important by potential local partners, investors, the public, and third parties in the region. This section provides a summary of these key planning efforts, past water banking and groundwater substitution transfer activities, and the identified success factors for water bank development and implementation. The information and considerations inform development of project tasks in section 7.2. ? Outcome water bank development will build on previous and ongoing planning studies, incorporate experience gained through past and ongoing conjunctive use practices in the region, reflect lessons learned from water banking and groundwater substitution transfer activities, and espouse operating principles deemed important by potential local partners, investors, the public, and third parties in the region. This section provides a summary of these key planning efforts, past water banking and groundwater substitution transfer activities, and the identified success factors for water bank development and implementation. ? Beneficiary: the public