Monday October 23, 2023
International Water Power and Dam Construction —
The Biden-Harris Administration, in partnership with the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, has given the green light to the B.F. Sisk Dam Raise and Reservoir Expansion Project. This collaborative initiative is set to expand San Luis Reservoir, the largest offstream reservoir in the United States, creating an additional 130,000 acre-feet of storage capacity. The project will provide additional water resources for over two million people, support more than one million acres of farmland, and preserve 135,000 acres of Pacific Flyway wetlands and crucial wildlife habitats. Notably, this move represents the first major approval of a water storage project in California since 2011.
This significant development aligns with President Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda, a cornerstone of his economic strategy, known as Bidenomics. Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Bureau of Reclamation is allocating a total of $8.3 billion over five years for various water infrastructure projects, encompassing water storage, conveyance, dam safety, water purification, reuse, and desalination.
$25 million in funding for the B.F. Sisk Dam Project was announced in October 2022, followed by an additional $10 million in July 2023. Moreover, an extra $60 million was authorized for project construction from the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, culminating in a substantial federal contribution totaling $95 million for construction costs thus far.