Say “NO” to Additional Funding for Sites Reservoir

Sites Reservoir has, yet again, come to the Water Commission asking for more money than their initial cost calculations said. Show up with us at next Wednesday’s California Water Commission hearing and demand that not a cent more goes to this ever-pricier project!

Attend the California Water Commission hearing on Wednesday, June 17, beginning at 9:30 am and give public comment in opposition to a $268.9 million increase in supplementary funds.

The California Water Commission (“Commission”), which administers the Water Storage Investment Program (“WSIP”), has been asked by the Sites Project Authority to supplement their pre-existing agreement of $1.094 BILLION with an additional $269 million, in light of what they describe as “inflationary increases” and “a new emergency response benefit.” The Commission provides WSIP funding on the condition that the project in question provides “public benefits.” The project itself will cost ratepayers $6-7 billion total!

Instructions to Comment at the California Water Commission:

RSVP to attend the California Water Commission hearing via the Sierra Club registration link here. We’ll be in contact with additional talking points and up-to-date information on the meeting.
If you want an additional reminder, add this Google Calendar event link to your personal calendar.
Draft a comment discussing your own experience with California’s harmful water mega-project and by using Sierra Club’s talking points for the 6.17.2026 CWC meeting and our Sites Reservoir Fact Sheet.
Either attend the California Water Commission Hearing at 9:30am in-person at the State of California, Resources Building, 715 P Street, Room 201, Sacramento, CA, 95814

virtually via the Zoom link [here].

Plan to arrive or log onto the meeting’s Zoom link around 9:30am and have it run in the background, but we will message everyone who RSVPs shortly ahead of when they are scheduled to speak so you don’t have to listen in for more the entire time.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to Campaign Strategist Layne Fajeau at layne.fajeau@sierraclub.org.

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Please reject additional funding for Sites Reservoir.

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Dear Commissioners, I write to ask that the Commission not to approve any of the $587,443,747 in uncommitted funds from the Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP) to fund Sites Reservoir. The Sites Project is requesting an additional $268.9 million in public funding, bringing total taxpayer support through the Water Storage Investment Program to $1.36 billion for a project that will not bring us a new source of water and that State Water Contractors (SWC) cannot afford. This follows another $218.9 million increase approved to the Maximum Conditional Eligibility Determinations just last year, under the justification of inflationary cost increases, meaning the public has now been asked to cover nearly $500 million in unexpected, “inflationary” cost increases in just a few years. These repeated increases raise serious concerns about project transparency, cost controls, and fiscal accountability. And we, the public, shouldn’t have to hand over another $269 million after we just gave the Sites Project Authority $219 million last year to account for inflation. I urge the Commission to reject this request for additional funding for Sites Reservoir. Sincerely,

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