A decade and $7.5 billion later, California still without new reservoirs

California voters in 2014 approved Proposition 1, which earmarked $7.5 billion for water projects. However, a decade later no new reservoir has been built with those funds.

Now, nearly six months after the failure of a $1.5 billion plan to expand Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County and improve water supplies in the Bay Area, state officials are evaluating how to reallocate nearly $500 million in state funds previously earmarked for the project.

"A majority of the seven board members of the California Water Commission, a state agency that distributes funding to build reservoirs and other water projects, indicated they are leaning toward dividing up the $453 million left over from the Los Vaqueros project and giving it this year to six other major new reservoir and groundwater storage projects currently on the drawing board around the state," explained local newspaper Mercury News which reported the situation.

According to the story, among the proposals are Pacheco Reservoir, for the rural hills of southern Santa Clara County, and Sites Reservoir, a huge new $4.5 billion project proposed for Colusa County.

The latter, the Mercury News explained, if built would become the eighth largest reservoir in the state. The other four projects are groundwater storage banks in Kern County, Sacramento County and elsewhere.

In that regard, the commission is expected to make its final decision next month on how to allocate the $453 million. Commission members appear to disagree with opening the process to additional proposals that could result in more years of new studies, permits, lawsuits and other delays.

The bureaucracy has affected projects that have encountered rising inflation and other difficulties along the way. The situation occurred at a time when water became a priority for the state's residents due to the recent devastating wildfires.

As recently as a month ago, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure at local hydrants and the unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir.

He explained that this is a "deeply troubling" development. ""I am calling for an independent investigation into the loss of water pressure to local fire hydrants and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir," Newsom said in a statement posted on his X account.