Groundbreaking on one of California’s newest reservoirs could begin by the end of next year, officials announced Friday. Work on the Sites Reservoir, west of Maxwell in Colusa County, starts when crews begin testing soils and rocks in and around the 14,000 acre site of the proposed lake, said Fritz Durst, chairman of the Sites Project Authority Board of Directors. Officials expect to complete construction of a dam, roads and other structures around the reservoir within six years. The project is expected to cost about $6.8 billion, according to preliminary estimates, Durst said. The Sites Authority also recently received a favorable opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency on the reservoir’s environmental impact.

Other infrastructure news:

• KRCR (Redding, Calif.): Sites Reservoir project advances with key permits secured
• Active NorCal (Redding, Calif.): California’s new massive reservoir project gets $2 billion price hike
• YubaNet (Nevada City, Calif.): Yuba Water’s latest grant funding supports levee improvements, critical water infrastructure upgrades and wildfire resilience
• Nature Communications: Historical changes in overtopping probability of dams in the United States
• California Department of Water Resources: Blog: Securing statewide water supplies part 1