Reclamation Kicks Off 120th Anniversary with Groundbreaking for the B.F. Sisk Dam Safety Modification Project

Reclamation kicked off its 120th anniversary year on June 17 at San Luis Reservoir with the groundbreaking of the B.F. Sisk Dam Safety Modification Project. The billion-dollar effort received a $100 million investment earlier this year from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is Reclamation’s largest project under the 1978 Safety of Dams Act and when complete will modernize the dam to reduce risks due to seismic events.
Reclamation kicked off its 120th anniversary year on June 17 at San Luis Reservoir with the groundbreaking of the B.F. Sisk Dam Safety Modification Project. The billion-dollar effort received a $100 million investment earlier this year from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is Reclamation’s largest project under the 1978 Safety of Dams Act and when complete will modernize the dam to reduce risks due to seismic events.

The Bureau of Reclamation kicked off its 120th anniversary year June 17, 2022 at San Luis Reservoir with the groundbreaking of the B.F. Sisk Dam Safety Modification Project.

The billion-dollar effort received a $100 million investment earlier this year from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This is Reclamation’s largest project under the 1978 Safety of Dams Act and when complete will modernize the dam to reduce risks due to seismic events. 

“B.F. Sisk Dam and San Luis Reservoir are representative of
Reclamation’s legacy of effective resource management, the work being done here today—funded by the transformative Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—is emblematic of our commitment to modernize water infrastructure. So, it is fitting to break ground here once again and invest in our infrastructure and in the future of California.”

Reclamation Commissioner Camille C. Touton
Reclamation Commissioner Camille C. Touton
SLDMWA Executive Director Federico Barajas
SLDMWA Executive Director Federico Barajas

“This project enabled more efficient water use and changed the face of California. In the time since President Kennedy’s call, water from the San Luis Reservoir has helped California grow and prosper, especially the San Joaquin, the Santa Clara, and San Benito valleys around this area, and communities as far away as San Diego are benefitting from this investment made long ago.”

Speakers at the event included Commissioner Touton, Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo, Reclamation California-Great Basin Regional Director Ernest Conant, California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth, California State Water Resources Control Board Vice Chair Dorene D’Adamo and San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority Board President Cannon Michael.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the anniversary of the Bureau of Reclamation today in the same footprint where President John F. Kennedy dedicated San Luis Reservoir sixty years ago- President Kennedy stressed the uniqueness of the project in 1962 due to the federal, state, and local partnerships that came together to make the original project happen. These collaborations continue today and enable Reclamation’s California-Great Basin Region to make important strides in water management especially in light of changes brought on by climate change.”

Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant
Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant

In March 2022, the Department of the Interior announced a $100 million investment in the B.F. Sisk Dam Modification Project as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding. California Department of Water Resources is a cost share partner in the project. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $500 million for dam safety projects across the country to support the operational capacity of 12 dams that require modification to minimize risk to the public.

DWR Director Carla Nemeth
DWR Director Carla Nemeth

“As we face the impacts of climate change during this drought, we applaud this important investment in California’s aging infrastructure to ensure water supply reliability and climate resiliency into the future, DWR looks forward to working with Reclamation on Sisk Dam’s modernization efforts to reduce seismic risk and enhance public safety.”