California board approves Sites Reservoir water permit

California’s State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved a water-right permit for Sites Reservoir on Wednesday, a major step toward building a new reservoir in Colusa County. The permit authorizes water diversions from the Sacramento River under specified conditions; construction is scheduled to begin in 2027 and finish in 2034, according to project schedules. The off-stream reservoir, planned near Maxwell about 70 miles northwest of Sacramento, would store up to 1.5 million acre-feet. It would capture Sacramento River water during wet periods and release it when supplies are lower. Plans call for two large dams and nine smaller dams, with the reservoir covering about 15,000 acres. The permit allows diversions of up to 986,000 acre-feet annually from November through June, when river flows meet the required threshold. The project’s planned capacity and the permit’s annual diversion limit are different measures: the first is the amount it could store, while the second is the maximum amount it could take in a year. Supporters say the project would help California manage droughts and floods by storing water during high-flow periods. The Sites Project Authority’s...