From Active – For decades, California has been relying on an extensive reservoir system to provide the majority of its drinking and irrigation water. The Sites Reservoir, a long-planned project in the western Sacramento Valley, has been gaining momentum since 2014 when Prop. 1, a water bond, authorized $2.7 billion for new storage projects. The Sites Reservoir aims to store up to 1.5 million acre-feet of Sacramento River water, potentially enhancing water supplies for over 24 million people and 500,000 acres of Central Valley farmland. The project’s cost is estimated at $4.4 billion, with Prop. 1 covering up to $875 million and the remaining funds coming from federal loans to water suppliers. The reservoir could have captured 120,000 acre-feet of water during January’s storms, enough to serve about 1.3 million Californians for a year. (more)