The U.S. Department of the Interior approved a major California water project on Friday, clearing a key obstacle for a massive new reservoir. The proposed 1.5 million acre-foot Sites Reservoir would store water from the Sacramento River and distribute it during droughts to several parts of California, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, Southern California and the Bay Area. Stretching about 4 miles across and 13 miles north to south, it’s meant to provide water to approximately 24 million people, and it would mark California’s first major reservoir project since 1979. … The next steps in the project are securing water rights from the state and getting local agencies to officially sign off on funding.

Other reservoir news:

• Sun Herald (Colusa, Calif.): Federal approval clears path for Sites Reservoir
• Construction Dive: California’s $6B Sites Reservoir picks Barnard for CMAR contract
• Los Banos Enterprise (Calif.): San Luis Reservoir expansion advances as cost and funding questions continue