Advocates for more water flows to California’s Central Valley including water districts, farmers and homebuilders are looking to President Donald Trump to deploy funding for a long-discussed expansion of the Shasta Dam.
More than 135 individuals signed onto a letter to Trump on Monday, urging the president to prioritize funding for the project included in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Signers include the heads of the California Water Alliance, Western Growers, the Home Builders Association of Kern County, the San Luis Water District, the Farmers Water District and the Panoche Water District, along with J.G. Boswell Co. and other farmers.
The law set aside up to $1 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation through 2034 for construction and associated activities to increase the capacity of existing infrastructure.
The law does not explicitly name the Shasta Dam, but a proposal to raise the dam 18.5 feet has been under discussion since the 1980s.
