California water regulators have approved a permit for Sites Reservoir, clearing the way for construction of the state’s first new major reservoir in decades. Plans call for two large dams about 300 feet high, as well as nine smaller ones, holding water pumped from the Sacramento River and inundating about 15,000 acres in a valley northwest of Sacramento. After a heated debate, the State Water Resources Control Board voted unanimously late Wednesday to approve the water right permit for the reservoir near the community of Maxwell. … State officials and managers of water agencies said the $7 billion reservoir will be a critical part of California’s efforts to adapt to climate change. … Construction is scheduled to begin next year and conclude in 2034. Opponents, including environmental activists and fishing advocates, urged the board to reject the permit, saying the reservoir would siphon too much water out of the Sacramento River and harm salmon and other native fish. 

Related:

• San Francisco Chronicle: California’s largest reservoir in 50 years gets final approval, could break ground in June
• Courthouse News: California water board approves permit for Sites Reservoir project
• Action News Now (Chico, Calif.): State Water Resources Control Board approves water right for Sites Reservoir
• Gov. Gavin Newsom: News release: California expands water storage infrastructure, largest new reservoir in more than 50 years clears final permit​