… On Thursday, state water regulators released a draft permit for the highly anticipated Sites Reservoir, outlining how much water the proposed $6 billion facility in rural Glenn and Colusa counties can draw from the Sacramento River and, importantly, when those draws can be made. The project’s backers, who include Gov. Gavin Newsom, criticized an earlier draft of the permit as overly restrictive, saying it offered as little as half the water needed and left the viability of what would be California’s eighth largest reservoir in question. Cities and farms across the state stand to benefit from the new water supply, including in the Bay Area’s South Bay and Tri-Valley, though opponents of the project say it will dangerously deplete the Sacramento River.

Other dam and reservoir news:

• State Water Resources Control Board: Press Release: State Water Board revises draft water right decision for proposed Sites Reservoir, a major California water project
• The Sun-Gazette (Exeter, Calif.): Former mining pit will become crucial reservoir
• Chico Enterprise-Record (Calif.): Butte County aims for DWR accountability regarding dam
• WyoFile: Opinion: Some places in Wyoming are too important to gamble wiith