Three Valleys Municipal Water District

Three Valleys Municipal Water District
Name	Three Valleys Municipal Water District
Type	Special district
Formed	1950
Jurisdiction	San Gabriel Valley, California
Headquarters	Glendora, California
Chief1 name	Board of Directors

Three Valleys Municipal Water District is a public water wholesaler in the eastern San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, serving retail agencies and municipalities. The district coordinates imported water, groundwater management, and conservation programs across multiple cities in the San Gabriel Valley and Pomona Valley. It interfaces with regional agencies and state authorities to secure supplies, operate infrastructure, and implement water-use efficiency initiatives.

History

The district was formed in the postwar era to coordinate water deliveries for growing suburbs such as Glendora, California, Claremont, California, La Verne, California, Diamond Bar, California, and San Dimas, California following expansions tied to projects like the California State Water Project and the Colorado River Aqueduct. Early interactions involved the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and local groundwater producers in the Pomona Valley Groundwater Basin. During the late 20th century, responses to drought episodes linked to the 1990s California drought and the 2007–2009 California drought led to active participation in regional planning efforts with entities such as the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority and the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority. Recent decades saw the district engage with state regulatory developments from the California Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board while adapting to mandates from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Service Area and Governance

The district’s service area spans multiple incorporated cities and retail water agencies including Azusa, California, Covina, California, Pomona, California, and portions of Los Angeles County, California. Governance is conducted by a publicly elected Board of Directors that coordinates with agencies such as the Foothill Municipal Water District and the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. The board adopts policies and budgets influenced by interactions with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and complies with California transparency rules like the Brown Act and the California Public Records Act. The district also negotiates water supply contracts with wholesalers and coordinates emergency response planning with agencies including the California Office of Emergency Services.

Water Supply and Infrastructure

Primary sources include imported water delivered through infrastructure managed by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and local groundwater extraction from subbasins managed under the San Gabriel Valley Watermaster. The district’s infrastructure interfaces with major conveyance systems such as the Colorado River Aqueduct, the California Aqueduct, and the California State Water Project facilities. It supports distribution through connections to retail systems owned by city water departments and mutual water companies like Golden State Water Company affiliates. Capital investments have targeted interties, storage reservoirs, pump stations, and connections to regional recycled water projects coordinated with entities like the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts.

Water Quality and Conservation Programs

Water quality compliance aligns with standards set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the California State Water Resources Control Board, and regional Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board requirements. The district implements source-protection and monitoring programs in cooperation with the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority and local public health departments. Conservation programs have included turf replacement incentives, residential retrofit rebates, and public education campaigns conducted with partners such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Municipal Water District of Orange County, and nonprofit organizations like the Nature Conservancy. Programs also responded to statewide initiatives such as the California Water Conservation Act of 2009 and outreach tied to the Save Our Water campaign.

Finance and Rates

Revenue streams include wholesale water sales, connection fees, and grants from state and federal sources such as the California Department of Water Resources and the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Financial planning incorporates budgeting practices consistent with the Governmental Accounting Standards Board pronouncements and audits coordinated with county auditors for agencies in Los Angeles County, California. Rate-setting processes are undertaken by the board and interface with legal frameworks established by court decisions including those shaping water rate law in California, and they are influenced by bond financing markets and rating agencies such as Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's when issuing revenue bonds.

Projects and Partnerships

Major projects have involved groundwater cleanup and recharge in collaboration with the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority, recycled water expansions with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, and interagency water transfers with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The district has partnered on regional resilience and climate adaptation initiatives with universities and research institutions such as the University of California, Los Angeles and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Emergency preparedness and mutual-aid coordination have been conducted under frameworks with agencies including the California Emergency Management Agency and local fire districts.

Category:Public utilities of California Category:Water management in California Category:San Gabriel Valley