California officials are moving forward with plans to build the 1.5 million-acre site reservoir in the Sacramento Valley. The Site Projects Authority, which is leading the project, issued a request for qualifications Jan. 9 for a construction manager at risk for the estimated $3 billion depot and road package.
The scope of the project includes the construction of two major dams, the Sites Dam on Stone Corral Creek and the Golden Gate Dam on Funks Creek, which would each be about 270 feet high, with bases about 1,300 feet wide, according to the records. It also includes seven saddle dams and three levees, ranging from 6 feet to 107 feet in height.
In addition, the contractor would be responsible for constructing a concrete spillway on the north side of the tank’s edge; an entrance/exit runs through a 32.00 linear foot, 24.5 foot diameter excavated tunnel that would connect to downstream infrastructure to be constructed through a separate construction package; a diversion exit with a 14.5-foot inside diameter steel-lined tunnel that runs 1,320 linear feet. The scope also includes the construction of two bridges, one 1,900 feet long and the other 2,700 feet long, as well as widening a total of 7.2 miles of road.
Responses to the RFQ are due by March 10. The Site Projects Authority aims to select a shortlisted company for an initial contract for pre-construction services in the autumn, so that work can begin next year. The authority anticipates completion of construction by the end of 2032.
Separately, the authority also issued a request for proposals to seek leadership for the construction office. Responses to the RFP are due February 3rd.
The reservoir will add storage capacity to improve water reliability and water infrastructure resilience and to better capture stormwater in accordance with future climate projections as the West becomes more dry Water will be drawn from the reservoir during periods of drought.
Although the plan calls for the construction of dams, the reservoir would be outside the river and no river would be obstructed. The reservoir would be fed by rain and stormwater from the Sacramento River at the Red Bluff Pumping Plant and Hamilton City Pumping Station only during high flows.
“As one of the largest water infrastructure projects currently under development in California, Sites is an important opportunity to improve water reliability for the benefit of our communities, farms and environment,” said Fritz Durst, chairman of the board of directors of the Sites Project Authority. in a statement.
The authority was formed in 2010 to lead the development of the reservoir project. 30 local, state and federal agencies also participate.
Located about 65 miles northwest of Sacramento, the full reservoir would measure about 13 miles long north-south, 4 miles wide east-west and 260 feet deep. It would be the eighth largest reservoir in California, capable of holding enough water to serve 7.5 million people for a year, according to the authority.
