Post from October 18, 2022

FRESNO, Calif. - Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Interior announcing $210 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West, including $137 million to California's B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project, Sites Reservoir Project, and Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion.

"This investment in California's water system is desperately needed as we cope with impacts from the drought," said Costa, who voted for the legislation. "These projects will make a difference by developing additional water storage and expanding access to water for families, farmers, and the environment. This investment, along with the ongoing Friant Kern-Canal construction already underway, shows that we can and will improve our water system to better sustain future droughts due to climate change. I thank the Biden Administration for incorporating my input to fund San Joaquin Valley water projects in its Bipartisan Infrastructure Law spending plan and look forward to the Administration continuing to provide additional federal resources to get these important projects done.”

Costa has been advocating for key California water infrastructure priorities since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was enacted. Costa sent a letter to U.S. Dept. of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton, providing recommendations on how the Biden administration can prioritize the distribution of funding to help improve water infrastructure in the San Joaquin Valley.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will fund the following:

•    B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project: $25 million to the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Authority, to pursue the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project. The project is associated with the B.F. Sisk Safety of Dams Modification Project. Once complete, the project will develop approximately 130,000 acre-feet of additional storage.

•    North of Delta Off-Stream Storage (Sites Reservoir Project): $30 million to pursue off-stream storage capable for up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water in the Sacramento River system located in the Coast Range mountains west of Maxwell, California. The reservoir would utilize new and existing facilities to move water into and out of the reservoir, with ultimate release to the Sacramento River system via existing canals, a new pipeline near Dunnigan, and the Colusa Basin Drain.

•    Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Phase II: $82 million to efficiently integrate approximately 115,000 acre-feet of additional storage through new conveyance facilities with existing facilities to allow Delta water supplies to be safely diverted, stored, and delivered to beneficiaries.

Learn more about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law here. 

Original source can be found here.