B.F. Sisk Dam and San Luis Reservoir
Credit: USBR

July 28, 2023 - WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21) has released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Interior announcing $152 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West, including $50 million for the B.F. Sisk Dam Expansion project, Sites Reservoir project, and Los Vaqueros Reservoir project.

“As California deals with the impacts of drought and floods, we are investing in our aging water infrastructure to deliver water to residents and farming communities,” said Costa, who is the only Valley Congressional member to vote for this legislation. “I have worked closely with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to secure funding for water storage and clean drinking water in the San Joaquin Valley. These investments will improve our water systems to better sustain California through future drought cycles.”

This federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will fund the following projects:

• B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project: $10 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 completed, 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 of 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 in 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: $10 million to efficiently integrate approximately 115,000 acre-feet of additional water storage through new conveyance facilities with existing facilities. This will allow Delta water supplies to be safely diverted, stored, and delivered to beneficiaries.  

This funding is in addition to the $137 million in federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that Costa helped secure for these Valley water projects in 2022.

Learn more about how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering for the San Joaquin Valley, by clicking HERE. 
Source: Congressman Jim Costa