[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 37 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      SITES RESERVOIR PROJECT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2019

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I introduce the ``Sites Reservoir 
Project Act,'' which would provide federal support for the 1.8 million 
acre-feet Sites Reservoir and related water infrastructure in Colusa 
and Glenn Counties.
  Specifically, the ``Sites Reservoir Project Act'' would direct the 
Bureau of Reclamation to complete the feasibility study for the project 
and, if deemed feasible, authorize federal funding and technical 
support for its construction. The reservoir would be owned and operated 
by the Sites Joint Powers Authority, a regional consortium of local 
water agencies and counties formed in 2010.
  Our state must make forward-looking investments to capture and store 
water during wet years for use during drought. The Sites Reservoir is 
one such critical infrastructure project needed to meet California's 
future water needs, given climate change. The project is essential to 
integrated water management in the Sacramento Valley and would maximize 
storage of excess Sacramento River flows during winter storms for use 
later in the year. The Sites Reservoir Project would increase storage 
capacity north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, improving 
resiliency in our statewide water system, and helping to advance 
California's renewable energy goals with the pumped-storage component 
planned for phase II of the project.
  To date, more than $1.2 billion in public funding has been committed 
to the Sites Reservoir Project, including $816 million from 
California's State Water Bond (2014 Proposition 1) and federal funding 
from the Bureau of Reclamation for the feasibility study and related 
work. In November 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture committed 
$449 million in low-interest financing from the Rural Development 
Program, recognizing the project's importance to California's farming 
communities.
  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague and northern California neighbor 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) for his support as the bill's original 
cosponsor and for sponsoring similar legislation in previous 
Congresses.
  I look forward to working with all members of the California 
delegation to advance this bipartisan bill and see this critical 
reservoir project completed.

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