The majority of the Sacramento area’s water resources come from the American River, a sensitive state- and federally-designated Wild & Scenic tributary of the Sacramento River. The RiverArc Project, a partnership of water agencies in the region, will shift a significant portion of that demand to the much larger Sacramento River. This diversification of the water supply is critical to the entire region’s future sustainability and prosperity.

“The Sacramento River is about six times the size and flow of the American River, yet in the Sacramento region, 80 percent of our reliance is on the American River,” says Tony Firenzi, Director of Strategic Affairs for Placer County Water Agency. “We must look to the Sacramento River for the future of a growing economy and to protect the lower American River ecosystem.”

RiverArc will divert water from the Sacramento River to a new regional water treatment plant and distribute potable water through new and existing pipelines to local water agencies. The project will enhance water supply diversity and reliability on a regional scale, increasing the sustainability of regional groundwater supplies and providing improved river and ecosystem health in the lower American River. 

“We must look to the Sacramento River for the future of a growing economy and to protect the lower American River ecosystem.”  Tony Firenzi, Director of Strategic Affairs, Placer County Water Agency

In the next decade, it’s critical to expand our surface water supply, but this can be done only through partnerships. RiverArc was recently awarded a $5 million grant by the Wildlife Conservation Board to continue evaluating and processing the environmental work, and construction is targeted for the 2030s.

“In addition to more sustainable water supplies throughout the region, the RiverArc Project is vital to protect the lower American River and its natural habitats,” says Anne Sanger, Government Affairs Manager for the City of Sacramento’s Department of Utilities. “According to projections, our watershed will struggle with increased temperatures under climate change, so we need to look at delivering our water resources differently. Twenty years on, we will be grateful that we invested in the RiverArc Project.”