Board Approves Sites Reservoir Water Permit
The state's first major new reservoir in decades received a unanimous approval for its water right permit after a heated debate.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Utilities
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The State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously late Wednesday to approve a water right permit for Sites Reservoir, the state's first new major reservoir in decades. Opponents urged the board to reject the permit, citing environmental and cultural concerns.
Why it matters
Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel said California faces more extreme droughts and floods and a growing need to store water during wet periods. State officials and water agency managers said the reservoir will be a critical part of the state's efforts to adapt to climate change.
The $7 billion project calls for two dams about 300 feet high and nine smaller dams, inundating about 15,000 acres northwest of Sacramento. Friends of the River estimates it will add about half a percent to California's average water supply, though opponents' concerns about river warming and algae blooms remain unresolved.
The players
State Water Resources Control Board
The California state agency that voted unanimously to approve the water right permit for Sites Reservoir after a heated debate over its environmental and cultural impacts.
E. Joaquin Esquivel
The chair of the State Water Resources Control Board who argued that California needs new water storage to manage more extreme droughts and floods.
Friends of the River
A California river conservation organization that estimates the reservoir will add about half a percent to the state's average water supply.
The details
Water will be pumped from the Sacramento River to fill the reservoir in a valley near the community of Maxwell. Opponents, including Native activists, argue that inundating the valley would destroy sacred sites and ancestral burial grounds.
Timeline
Late Wednesday, November 4, 2026: Board unanimously approves the water right permit.
2027: Construction is scheduled to begin.
2034: Construction is scheduled to conclude.
Market Landscape
Sites Reservoir is the state's first major new reservoir in decades, marking a departure from an era of limited large-scale water storage construction. Its approval advances state officials' stated plan to store water during wet years to buffer against increasingly extreme droughts and floods.
The reservoir is expected to add only about half a percent to the state's average water supply, a modest gain against a $7 billion cost. Residents in the valley and near Maxwell will see the most direct physical changes as 15,000 acres are inundated.
The takeaway
Large water infrastructure projects carry long timelines and contested trade-offs between storage gains and environmental or cultural costs. Readers tracking California's water future can watch the 2027 construction start as the next concrete checkpoint.
What happens next
Construction of Sites Reservoir is scheduled to begin next year and conclude in 2034.
Further reading
Explore more on Utilities coverage across California's water and energy infrastructure.
Live Poll
Do you think California should spend $7 billion on Sites Reservoir?
