California expands water commitment in response to climate concerns
On June 17, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state is advancing the Sites Reservoir project with an additional $268.9 million in funding from the California Water Commission, strengthening long-term water storage and helping prepare for a hotter, drier future. Sites Reservoir will capture water from the Sacramento River during wet seasons and store it for use during drier seasons, holding up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water, enough to supply over 4.5 million homes for a year.
Once construction is complete, the reservoir will capture and store flood flows from the Sacramento River to reduce potential flood damage, dispatch water to wildlife refuges, including the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area and San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, as well as deliver up to 200,000-acre feet of captured water to create a new water supply for use during emergency-declared droughts.
“Year after year, we see climate change putting pressure on California’s water system in real time with hotter, drier weather and more intense storms that strain our communities and the environment,” said Newsom. “With this additional funding for Sites Reservoir, we are expanding our water storage capacity and turning challenges into opportunities to capture more water for millions of residents.”
