A new federal water bill is trying to make Northern California’s most important river do even more heavy lifting: store water, protect farms and cities, and help endangered salmon survive the system built around them. The proposal also takes aim at the bureaucratic shuffle that can leave major water and habitat projects stuck in neutral.
U.S. Rep. James Gallagher introduced the measure in the House on June 29, naming it the Doug LaMalfa Sacramento River Basin Water Security and Reliability Act of 2026, according to Action News Now. The legislation, H.R. 9512, was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee and has not yet received a vote.
Storage money With Habitat Strings Attached
The bill would revive and extend a federal water-storage program through 2041, giving projects more time to pursue federal assistance. That could matter for large efforts such as proposed Sites Reservoir, which has been pitched as a way to capture water during wet periods for use when drought tightens the system.
But this is not simply a storage bill wearing a salmon costume. The proposal would authorize up to $500 million from fiscal years 2028 through 2037 for fish passage, habitat restoration, hatchery upgrades, fish screens, floodplain projects and real-time monitoring aimed at species including Chinook salmon and steelhead, according to the official bill text.
It would also let the federal government cover as much as half of the annual operations, maintenance and replacement costs tied to the public benefits of eligible state-led storage projects. Those benefits could include ecosystem improvements, better water quality, recreation and flood control, with the federal contribution described as nonreimbursable.
A Federal Committee Meant To Break Through Gridlock
One of the bill’s more unusual features is a proposed Sacramento River Basin Integrated Water Management Federal Leadership Committee. The group would bring together agencies including the Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, while allowing state and tribal representatives to participate.
The committee would be tasked with aligning federal programs, clearing regulatory and jurisdictional obstacles, coordinating salmon recovery plans and recommending investment priorities to Congress. Roger Cornwell, chair of the Northern California Water Association, described the basin to Northern California Water as a working landscape that supports communities, farms, fish, migratory birds, recreation and hydropower.
The proposal also addresses the money generated when eligible water contractors make temporary, voluntary water transfers. After original construction costs are repaid, contractors could retain revenue for drought-resilience projects, extraordinary maintenance or dam-safety work, rather than sending those funds straight back into the federal reclamation account.
Why The Sacramento Basin Keeps Landing In Washington
The Sacramento River Basin is not a niche water issue confined to a few irrigation districts. The U.S. Geological Survey says the basin supplies drinking and irrigation water to communities and farms in both Northern and Southern California, while the Sacramento Valley supports roughly 2.1 million acres of crops and relies on both surface water and groundwater.
The bill arrives as Congress pursues a separate water package that would authorize $155 million for water, wastewater and habitat projects across nine Sacramento River Basin counties. Hoodline previously reported that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced that broader measure, showing how lawmakers are pursuing several federal tracks at once.
For Gallagher’s bill, the next hurdle is the Natural Resources Committee, followed by the full House and Senate if it advances. The proposal sets out major authorizations and new federal coordination, but none of that becomes construction money or operating support until Congress moves the legislation and approves the necessary funding.
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