California’s Sites Reservoir One Step Closer to Reality After Project Clears Legal Hurdle

The reservoir northwest of Sacramento, long a priority for Gov. Newsom, will be the largest one constructed in about 50 years.

Water is released on the main spillway at Lake Oroville in Oroville, Calif., on June 15, 2023. Lake Oroville is the state's second-largest reservoir, after Shasta Lake. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

After a Yolo County court denied a petition which sought to prevent the Sites Reservoir project from proceeding, California Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated the news June 4.

“California needs more water storage, and we have no time to waste—projects like the Sites Reservoir will capture rain and snow runoff to supply millions of homes with clean drinking water,” Mr. Newsom said in a press release announcing the court’s decision. “We’re approaching this work with urgency, everything from water storage to clean energy and transportation projects.”