… Updated modeling this spring found that Sites [Reservoir] could have stored more than 550,000 acre-feet in just five months of the current water year. … South of the Delta, the proposed Del Puerto Canyon Reservoir … could store up to an additional 82,000 acre-feet of new storage every year. … [B]ut when the House debated an energy and natural resources package earlier this year that included $2 billion dollars for Central Valley water storage, I was the lone Democrat to vote yes because reliable water is critical to my district and the state. Most of the $1 billion that ended up in the final bill is expected to support the enlargement of existing facilities, such as Shasta Dam and San Luis Reservoir. This is a good start, but many more projects are needed.
–Written by Rep. Adam Gray, who represents California’s 13th Congressional District and serves on the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.