Water Storage Update

Earlier this year, the California Water Commission single handedly decided to hold back new water storage funding from Proposition 1 dollars approved by the voters. Fortunately, advocates from across the state have continued their work to convince the Commission to reconsider their decision. A few weeks ago, the Commission reversed their earlier decision and has made initial recommendations for how the money will be spent.

Two of the largest proposed projects, Sites Reservoir and Temperance Flat, have both received substantially more potential money. That’s the good news.

The bad news? The proposed funding does not come close to what it might take to make the projects a reality. For example, the Commission has recommended that Temperance Flat receive $171 million in bond funding – well short of the $1 billion that was requested and the nearly $3 billion needed to fully construct the project.

The Commission will hear appeals in May and finalize their decision in July. If you would like to stay up to date on the process please visit the following: www.cwc.ca.gov or sign up for the listserv by emailing cwc@water.ca.gov