The Department of the Interior today approved the Record of Decision for the Sites Reservoir Project, a major off-stream storage project in Northern California. The decision authorizes the Bureau of Reclamation to provide up to 25 percent of the total cost for the 1.5 million acre-foot off-stream reservoir, which will be located west of the Sacramento River near Maxwell. Designed to capture and store water during wet periods for use in dry years, the project will strengthen reliability for communities, agriculture and the environment across the state. The action reflects the Trump administration’s priority to expand water supply, enhance system resilience and reduce regulatory delays through the direction established in Executive Order 14181. The order has driven operational improvements that delivered more than 200,000 acre-feet of additional water to the Central Valley Project, enough to supply more than 500,000 people for a year by streamlining operations and capturing storm flows that historically could not be stored. 

“President Trump made clear that federal water projects must deliver real results for American families,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “This administration is getting it done in record time. The Sites Reservoir Project and the gains achieved over the past year demonstrate how a disciplined, mission-focused approach can expand water reliability for communities, agriculture and the economy.” Sites Reservoir would further boost that supply. “Signing the Sites Reservoir Record of Decision represents a federal commitment to move a long-studied water storage project forward,” said Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Andrea Travnicek. “This decision reflects years of analysis, public engagement and coordination, and establishes the foundation for construction through sound partnerships that will ultimately result in additional water supplies for California.”