Central California is looking to expand water storage with $449 million in USDA funds. The money provided will aid the Sites Reservoir Project, which aims to capture and use run-off from the Sierras to irrigate the Sacramento Valley, saving the state billions of dollars. The water management system will increase the reliability of the California water supply and create more than 560 jobs. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue said the collaborative effort will "ensure that the productivity of water in the Sacramento Valley is around for generations of farmers and ranchers to come.” Perdue, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and Asst. Sec. of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James joined California Reps. Jeff Denham, David Valadao, Jim Costa and John Garamendi for the announcement at the Sites Project Authority Office in Maxwell, Calif. on Tuesday. Zinke said in order to meet future water demands, the U.S. must "increase our storage capacity and bring our water infrastructure into the 21st century." Sites Reservoir is slated to begin pre-construction activities yet this year.
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