Sites Reservoir advances toward a November water-right permit decision

California says Sites Reservoir has moved closer to construction after the Sites Project Authority determined that a revised water-right permit could support a viable project. The September 24 announcement identifies November 4 as the next State Water Board consideration of the final permit.

The action moves the project into an investment period. It is a development milestone, rather than a report that reservoir construction is complete or that every delivery requirement has been satisfied.

Sites is designed as off-stream storage that captures Sacramento River water during wetter periods for use in drier ones. The proposed reservoir would hold up to 1.5 million acre-feet.

The state says the project is eligible for a total of $1.363 billion through the Water Storage Investment Program, incorporating additional funding announced earlier this year. Eligibility for that funding should be distinguished from the whole-project cost and from individual construction awards.

For water agencies, the next permit decision is important because operating conditions shape what an asset can actually deliver. Storage volume alone cannot describe the reliability of a future supply.

For the delivery market, a clear sequence of permit actions, participant commitments and procurement decisions is more useful than a single headline construction date. The November board milestone is the next specific event identified in the state’s update.

Reporting source: California Governor’s Office, September 24, 2026. Sources reviewed September 30, 2026. Delivery implications are Infraday analysis.

Illustrative photograph; it does not document the announced work. Silicon Valley Clean Water treatment plant, Redwood City, September 2023; representative photograph. Photo: Pi.1415926535 / CC BY-SA 4.0. No editorial alterations; WordPress may resize or crop for display.