<html><head></head><body><div class="ydp2b7c8000yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><div><a href="https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/11/27/trump-officials-announce-450-million-loan-california-sites-reservoir-project/2130237002/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="">https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/11/27/trump-officials-announce-450-million-loan-california-sites-reservoir-project/2130237002/</a><br></div></div><div><span><h1 class="ydp1b0777d6asset-headline ydp1b0777d6speakable-headline" itemprop="headline" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-stretch: normal; font-size: 32px; line-height: 34px; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 20px 0px 0px 70px;">Trump officials announce $450 million loan for new California reservoir project</h1><div class="ydp1b0777d6asset-metabar" style="border: 1px solid rgb(230, 230, 230); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; border-bottom-right-radius: 3px; border-bottom-left-radius: 3px; margin: 20px 0px 23px 70px; width: 878px;"><span class="ydp1b0777d6asset-metabar-author ydp1b0777d6asset-metabar-item" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 14px; margin: 6px 0px 5px; padding: 2px 10px; position: relative;"><a href="http://www.redding.com/staff/10056270/damon-arthur/" style="color: rgb(78, 196, 255);" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Damon Arthur</a>, Redding Record Searchlight</span><span class="ydp1b0777d6asset-metabar-time ydp1b0777d6asset-metabar-item ydp1b0777d6nobyline" style="display: inline-block; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14px; margin: 6px 0px 5px; padding: 2px 10px; position: relative; border: 0px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153);">Published 3:57 p.m. PT Nov. 27, 2018 | <span class="ydp1b0777d6asset-metabar-time-updated" style="font-weight: 700;">Updated 3:59 p.m. PT Nov. 27, 2018</span></span></div><div class="ydp1b0777d6asset-double-wide ydp1b0777d6double-wide ydp1b0777d6p402_premium" style="float: left; margin-left: 10px; position: relative; width: 600px; margin-bottom: 20px; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqm_Vts" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6video-asset"><div class="ydp1b0777d6ui-video-wrapper"><br></div></div><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqn5A-s" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6story-metadata-asset"><div class="ydp1b0777d6article-metadata-wrap" style="float: left; margin: 0px 30px 0px 60px; position: relative; width: 180px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6image-wrap" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 3px; position: relative; cursor: pointer;"><img class="ydp1b0777d6expand-img-horiz" itemprop="url" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/27/PRRS/b067bbf2-3b67-4ca1-9979-ebac4118186e-sites.JPG?width=534&height=401&fit=bounds&auto=webp" alt="Sites Reservoir" data-mycapture-src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/27/PRRS/b067bbf2-3b67-4ca1-9979-ebac4118186e-sites.JPG" data-mycapture-sm-src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/27/PRRS/b067bbf2-3b67-4ca1-9979-ebac4118186e-sites.JPG?width=500&height=375" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%;" data-id="1543418411629"><span class="ydp1b0777d6toggle" style="background-image: url(https://www.gannett-cdn.com/uxstatic/redding/uscp-web-static-3563.0/images/sprites/asset-sprite.png); width: 21px; z-index: 200; min-height: 21px;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6mycapture-small-btn ydp1b0777d6mycapture-btn-with-text ydp1b0777d6mycapture-expandable-photo-btn-small ydp1b0777d6js-mycapture-btn-small" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 11px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 18px; padding: 5px 9px 5px 10px; width: 78px; z-index: 1; min-height: 17px;">Buy Photo</span></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6image-credit-wrap" style="margin: 6px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 5px 0px 0px; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(100, 100, 100);"><span class="ydp1b0777d6js-caption-wrapper"><span class="ydp1b0777d6credit" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">(Photo: Damon Arthur/Record Searchlight)</span></span></p></div></div><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqnEF2o" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6inline-share-tools-asset"><div class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-tools ydp1b0777d6asset-inline-share-tools ydp1b0777d6asset-inline-share-tools-top" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-facebook" data-share-method="facebook" data-uotrack="InlineShareFacebookBtn" style="border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; min-height: 28px;"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count-facebook" style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Futura Today Bold, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label-facebook" style="font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 8px; line-height: 12px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; text-transform: uppercase; position: relative;">CONNECT</span></span><a class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-twitter" data-share-method="twitter" data-uotrack="InlineShareTwitterLink" data-popup-width="550" data-popup-height="450" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A//www.redding.com/story/news/2018/11/27/trump-officials-announce-450-million-loan-california-sites-reservoir-project/2130237002/&text=Trump%20officials%20announce%20%24450%20million%20loan%20for%20new%20California%20reservoir%20project&via=BreakingNews_RS" data-popup="" style="color: rgb(25, 144, 229); border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; min-height: 28px;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count-twitter" style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Futura Today Bold, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label-twitter" style="font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 8px; line-height: 12px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; text-transform: uppercase; position: relative;">TWEET</span></a><a class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-linkedin" data-share-method="linkedin" data-popup-width="600" data-popup-height="455" data-uotrack="UtilityBarFlyoutLinkedInLink" href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A//www.redding.com/story/news/2018/11/27/trump-officials-announce-450-million-loan-california-sites-reservoir-project/2130237002/&mini=true" data-popup="" style="color: rgb(25, 144, 229); border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; min-height: 28px;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count-linkedin" style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Futura Today Bold, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label-linkedin" style="font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 8px; line-height: 12px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; text-transform: uppercase; position: relative;">LINKEDIN</span></a><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-comments" data-share-method="comments" data-uotrack="InlineShareCommentsBtn" style="border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; min-height: 28px;"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count-comments" style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Futura Today Bold, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label-comments" style="font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 8px; line-height: 12px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; text-transform: uppercase; position: relative;">COMMENT</span></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-email" data-share-method="email" data-uotrack="InlineShareEmailBtn" style="border-right-width: 1px; border-right-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(214, 214, 214); cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; min-height: 28px;"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count-email" style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Futura Today Bold, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label-email" style="font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 8px; line-height: 12px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; text-transform: uppercase; position: relative;">EMAIL</span></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-more" data-share-method="facebook" data-uotrack="InlineShareMoreBtn" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 10px; position: relative; text-align: center; min-height: 28px;"><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count ydp1b0777d6inline-share-count-more" style="font-stretch: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; font-family: Futura Today Bold, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block;"></span><span class="ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label ydp1b0777d6inline-share-btn-label-more" style="font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 8px; line-height: 12px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); display: block; text-transform: uppercase; position: relative;">MORE</span></span></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6speakable-p-1 ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Trump administration officials were in California on Tuesday to announce a $450 million loan for the Sites Reservoir project in Colusa County.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6speakable-p-2 ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The money will be used to build a tunnel to carry water from the Glenn-Colusa Canal to an existing reservoir, giving farmers on the west side of the Sacramento Valley more access to irrigation water.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The 12-foot diameter tunnel, called an intertie, will also be used to transport water to and from Sites Reservoir after it is built, said Jim Watson, general manager of the Sites Reservoir Authority.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">“With the large reservoir, the benefits of the intertie get extended down into the San Joaquin Valley for rural communities and also to provide benefits for the cities in the Bay Area and Southern California,” Watson said of the 1.8 million acre-foot reservoir project.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke traveled to Maxwell to tour the area where the tunnel will be built and to meet with local and state officials. Accompanying them were Republican congressional members Doug LaMalfa of Richvale, David Valadao of Hanford and Jeff Denham of Hawthorne, as well as Republican Assemblyman James Gallagher, </p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">“The president was right, California is a blessed state,” Zinke said. “We have a lot of water, but we need to make sure we have flexibility in the system and that we can move water back and forth and not let it go out to the sea.”</p><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqm2dJ0" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6image-asset"><img itemprop="url" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/27/PRRS/6a2df4a5-2d49-4cc2-be73-d19d8d846ed2-AP18331055687512.jpg?width=540&height=405&fit=bounds&auto=webp" alt="Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, right, answers a reporters question after touring fire ravaged Paradise, Calif. with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, center, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. The pair advocated more aggressive forest management policies to mitigate damage from future wildfires. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)" data-mycapture-src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/27/PRRS/6a2df4a5-2d49-4cc2-be73-d19d8d846ed2-AP18331055687512.jpg" data-mycapture-sm-src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/27/PRRS/6a2df4a5-2d49-4cc2-be73-d19d8d846ed2-AP18331055687512.jpg?width=500&height=394" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 513px; width: 540px;" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" class=""><p style="margin: 6px 0px 0px; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(100, 100, 100); padding: 0px 5px 0px 0px;">Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, right, answers a reporters question after touring fire ravaged Paradise, Calif. with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, center, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. The pair advocated more aggressive forest management policies to mitigate damage from future wildfires. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) <span class="ydp1b0777d6credit" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, AP)</span></p><div class="ydp1b0777d6clearfix"></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Zinke and Perdue also visited Paradise on Monday to see the devastation from the Camp Fire, which has killed an estimated 88 people and destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings in Butte County.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Sites officials say the reservoir provides more flexibility for the state’s water system because during times of the year when runoff levels are high, water can be pumped from the Sacramento River and stored at Sites.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">During drier periods, water can be taken from Sites, which will be the seventh-largest reservoir in the state, and used for irrigation and drinking water, officials said.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Sites will allow the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to keep more water in Lake Shasta, which will benefit salmon that spawn in the Sacramento River in the Redding area, said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority.</p><div class="ydp1b0777d6partner-placement ydp1b0777d6partner-spike ydp1b0777d6partner-placement-visible" data-ad-placement="native-article_link" data-ad-sizes="[fluid,[3,3]]" id="ydp1b0777d6ad-position-146" data-monetization-id="native-article_link" data-monetization-sizes="fluid,3,3"><div class="ydp1b0777d6ad-slot" id="ydp1b0777d6ad-slot-7103-ca-redding-C1265-native-article_link-homepage-103" data-google-query-id="COPRy82u994CFcGLaQodlCsO6Q"><div style="border: 0pt none;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6tlod" style="display: inline;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6tl-unit-mid-article ydp1b0777d6tltpvclass_96651"><a class="ydp1b0777d6plr-rr ydp1b0777d6plr-rr__story-from ydp1b0777d6tl-clickthrough-url" href="https://eb2.3lift.com/pass?tl_clickthrough=true&redir=https%3A%2F%2Finsight.adsrvr.org%2Ftrack%2Fclk%3Fimp%3D61aa5263-b663-4911-8101-982408734786%26ag%3D1fyjbo4%26sfe%3De3631ea%26sig%3D7rZe5EFQWregbstwyLoQjFLrwr7hGByne1GYn-QSCOo.%26crid%3Db1uq84c7%26cf%3D258136%26fq%3D0%26td_s%3Dwww.redding.com%26rcats%3D7sp%2C5rf%2Cy29%26mcat%3D%26mste%3D%26mfld%3D4%26mssi%3DNone%26mfsi%3Drmrwvkfe7c%26sv%3Dtriplelift%26uhow%3D79%26agsa%3D%26rgco%3DUnited%2520States%26rgre%3DCalifornia%26rgme%3D813%26rgci%3DMount%2520Shasta%26rgz%3D96067%26dt%3DPC%26osf%3DOSX%26os%3DOther%26br%3DSafari%26svpid%3D4655%26rlangs%3Den%26mlang%3D%26did%3Dtlx-4206%26rcxt%3DOther%26tmpc%3D%26vrtd%3D%26osi%3D%26osv%3D%26daid%3D%26dnr%3D0%26vpb%3D%26svsc%3D%26dur%3DCj4KIWNoYXJnZS1hbGxEb3VibGVWZXJpZnlCcmFuZFNhZmV0eSIZCPH__________wESDGRvdWJsZXZlcmlmeQo_CiJjaGFyZ2UtYWxsRG91YmxlVmVyaWZ5Qm90QXZvaWRhbmNlIhkI5___________ARIMZG91YmxldmVyaWZ5%26crrelr%3D%26npt%3D%26svscid%3D63790%26mk%3DApple%26mdl%3DSafari%2520-%2520OS%2520X%26adpt%3Dtl_ltriplelift%26ipl%3D17610%26atst%3D1%26r%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fservedby.flashtalking.com%2Fclick%2F3%2F88681%3B3228632%3B50126%3B211%3B0%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.uscellularmedia.com%2Fbannerland%2Fvendor%2Fm%2Fevergreenprepaid.html&tluid=18315444629454319011" style="color: rgb(25, 144, 229); font-family: Futura Today, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; padding: 10px 0px; position: relative; border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(157, 157, 157); border-width: 1px 0px;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><div class="ydp1b0777d6plr-rr__content"><div class="ydp1b0777d6plr-rr__above_title" style="font-family: Futura Today DemiBold, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 5px; text-transform: uppercase;">BY U.S. CELLULAR PREPAID</div><div class="ydp1b0777d6plr-rr__content__title ydp1b0777d6plr-long ydp1b0777d6tl-heading" style="font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.15;">No credit check, overages or activation fees with U.S. Cellular prepaid plans.</div><div class="ydp1b0777d6plr-rr__below_title ydp1b0777d6plr-rr__sponsored-by" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Futura Today DemiBold, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.08; margin-top: 15px;">See more →</div></div><div class="ydp1b0777d6plr-img" style="display: inline-block; margin-left: 20px; position: relative; width: 93px; background-size: cover !important; min-height: 93px;"><img src="https://img.3lift.com/?width=93&height=93&url=%2F%2Fimages.3lift.com%2F4204831.jpg&logo_exclude=&v=17" class="ydp1b0777d6ggnoads" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%;" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true"></div></a></div></div></div></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The endangered winter-run salmon need colder water for spawning, and that cold water comes from Lake Shasta. Sutton said storing water in Sites Reservoir means the bureau can store more cold water in Lake Shasta for those salmon.</p><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqm2kuM" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset"><div class="ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-wrap" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 50px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6js-oembed ydp1b0777d6story-oembed ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-redding-record-searchlight ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-type-link" data-oembed-type="link" data-oembed-provider="redding-record-searchlight" style="max-width: 100%; clear: both; text-align: center; width: 540px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset-link ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset-redding-record-searchlight ydp1b0777d6oembed-simple-link-container" style="border: none; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/10/15/lakehead-residents-raise-questions-raising-height-shasta-dam/1652725002/" data-track-label="newrecircinline" class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-simple-link ydp1b0777d6oembed-link-anchor" style="color: rgb(25, 144, 229); display: block; clear: both;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><p class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-link-desc" style="margin: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 155, 255); text-align: left;">Raising Shasta Dam: Nearby property owners want answers</p><div style="clear: both;"></div></a></div></div></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">USDA officials said they supported the project because of its benefits to cities, farms and wildlife.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The $449.2 million loan is the largest the agency has ever given, said Sarah Marquart, a spokeswoman for the USDA’s Rural Development program.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">“So you can see the scale of how strongly Congress and USDA and the Trump administration feel about what’s happening here in California with regard to the importance of Sites Reservoir and the ability to move water both ways,” Perdue said.</p><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqnoumU" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6image-asset"><img itemprop="url" src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/10/23/PRRS/385572df-d84a-4aa0-979f-66385e65600f-sites_reservoir.jpg?width=540&height=405&fit=bounds&auto=webp" alt="Sites Reservoir, if it is built would be located west of the Sacramento River in Colusa County." data-mycapture-src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/10/23/PRRS/385572df-d84a-4aa0-979f-66385e65600f-sites_reservoir.jpg" data-mycapture-sm-src="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/10/23/PRRS/385572df-d84a-4aa0-979f-66385e65600f-sites_reservoir.jpg?width=500&height=302" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 540px; width: 540px;" data-inlineimagemanipulating="true" class=""><p style="margin: 6px 0px 0px; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(100, 100, 100); padding: 0px 5px 0px 0px;">Sites Reservoir, if it is built would be located west of the Sacramento River in Colusa County. <span class="ydp1b0777d6credit" style="font-style: italic; font-weight: 400;">(Photo: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)</span></p><div class="ydp1b0777d6clearfix"></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">LaMalfa said he has long supported the Sites project.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">“I’ve said many times before — surface storage projects like this one are absolutely critical to securing the future of our state’s water supply,” LaMalfa said in a statement. “We know all too well the potential economic impacts of a drought, and Sites Reservoir will enable more water storage during wet years in preparation for dry years.”</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The money from the USDA isn’t free, though.</p><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqn8qVQ" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset"><div class="ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-wrap" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 50px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6js-oembed ydp1b0777d6story-oembed ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-redding-record-searchlight ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-type-link" data-oembed-type="link" data-oembed-provider="redding-record-searchlight" style="max-width: 100%; clear: both; text-align: center; width: 540px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset-link ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset-redding-record-searchlight ydp1b0777d6oembed-simple-link-container" style="border: none; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/10/19/trump-wants-cut-red-tape-hasten-water-projects-california/1701171002/" data-track-label="newrecircinline" class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-simple-link ydp1b0777d6oembed-link-anchor" style="color: rgb(25, 144, 229); display: block; clear: both;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><p class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-link-desc" style="margin: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 155, 255); text-align: left;">Trump wants to cut red tape, hasten water projects in California</p><div style="clear: both;"></div></a></div></div></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The loan will need to be paid off in 40 years at 3.875 percent interest, Marquart said. Money to repay the loan will come from rural and urban water users, Watson said.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">It could be some time, though, before ratepayers see the cost of the projects on their water bills.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The Sites Authority, made up of 31 water agencies, is still going through environmental studies necessary before the project can be built.</p><div class="ydp1b0777d6partner-outstream"></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Watson said the intertie should be complete by 2024, and he envisioned Sites Reservoir being completed by 2030.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Financing for the $6.4 billion project is still being assembled, Watson said. But he expects the reservoir to be paid for through a series of loans, bonds and grants.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Watson said he expects finance charges on all the loans to cost around $2 billion on top of the construction costs.</p><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">The state has already granted the Sites project $816 million from the Proposition 1 water bond. The authority also plans to seek loans from the EPA and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.</p><div id="ydp1b0777d6module-position-RXXfgqmfw2E" class="ydp1b0777d6story-asset ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset"><div class="ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-wrap" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 50px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6js-oembed ydp1b0777d6story-oembed ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-redding-record-searchlight ydp1b0777d6story-oembed-type-link" data-oembed-type="link" data-oembed-provider="redding-record-searchlight" style="max-width: 100%; clear: both; text-align: center; width: 540px;"><div class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset-link ydp1b0777d6oembed-asset-redding-record-searchlight ydp1b0777d6oembed-simple-link-container" style="border: none; background-color: transparent; margin-left: 10px;"><a href="https://www.redding.com/story/news/2018/10/23/president-trumps-water-memo-making-waves-across-california/1733744002/" data-track-label="newrecircinline" class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-simple-link ydp1b0777d6oembed-link-anchor" style="color: rgb(25, 144, 229); display: block; clear: both;" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><p class="ydp1b0777d6oembed-link-desc" style="margin: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.799999237060547px; font-family: Helvetica, arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 155, 255); text-align: left;">Q&A: What Trump's water memo means</p><div style="clear: both;"></div></a></div></div></div></div><p class="ydp1b0777d6p-text ydp1b0777d6p-text-last" id="ydp1b0777d6article-body-p-last" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 60px; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"> </p></div></span></div></div></body></html>