In the Sacramento Valley, two surface water storage projects are currently being investigated as a continuation of the CALFED Surface Storage Investigations, the North-of-Delta Offstream Storage (NODOS), sometimes referred to as the Sites Reservoir project, and the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation.

North of Delta Offstream Storage

The proposed location of the Sites off-stream storage project is approximately 10 miles west of Maxwell in Antelope Valley. The reservoir would have a storage capacity of 1.9 million acre-feet (possibly larger) and would enhance water management flexibility throughout the state. Sites reservoir can greatly increase reliability of water supplies in the Sacramento Valley and other areas of the state by reducing water diversions on the Sacramento River during critical fish migration periods.

In 2010, the Sites Project Joint Powers Authority was formed by a regional consortium of local water agencies and counties to pursue the planning, development and possibly construction of the Sites Reservoir Project.

Sites Project Joint Powers Authority
Sites Reservoir Map/Fact Sheet
Department of Water Resources Sites Reservoir (NODOS) Website

Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation

The Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation (SLWRI), which is being led by the Bureau of Reclamation, “is designed to evaluate the feasibility of expanding the capacity of Shasta Reservoir for improved anadromous fish survival and improved water supply reliability, and to address other related resource needs in the primary and extended study areas.” This expansion would be achieved by raising the height of the existing Shasta Dam, thereby increasing the depth and inundation acreage of the project. The SLWRI Plan Formulation Report, which was issued in December 2007 proposed five different alternatives with dam raises varying from 6.5 feet to 18.5 feet, and resulting storage increases ranging from 256,000 acre-feet to 634,000 acre-feet.

Bureau of Reclamation SLWRI Website

Congressional Testimonies

Testimony on “Water for Our Future and Job Creation: Examining Regulatory and Bureaucratic Barriers to New Storage Projects”

Testimony on “Water for Our Future and Job Creation: Examining Regulatory and Bureaucratic Barriers to New Storage Projects”