Water in California is complicated … and governing water use is arguably even more complicated. Local water agencies are as diverse as the communities and landscapes of California. There are thousands of agencies across the state, both public and private, that provide water. They range from a system serving a single mobile home park to huge agencies serving millions of people and businesses and thousands of acres of farmland.
Some water agencies’ governing boards are appointed by a county board of supervisors or city council. The five-member board that oversees the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is appointed by the L.A. mayor and serve for five-year terms, for example. Others are directly elected by voters. Those are the ones you’ll see on your Nov. 5 ballot.
And just so you know, there are also private, for-profit investor-owned and operated water agencies and other types of private water companies that have neither elected nor publicly appointed officials, such as the California American Water Company, which provides water for about 675,000 homes and businesses across California. They’re regulated at the state level by the State Water Resources Control Board and California Public Utilities Commission (both of which have their oversight boards appointed by the Governor). Because the governing systems for these types of for-profit water agencies are not directly elected by the public, we won’t talk about those any further in this guide.
What do water agencies do?
The statewide patchwork of water regulations and agencies means your specific water provider’s responsibilities will likely vary, but generally they’re making decisions on:
- Setting water rates
- How to spend public funds on water quality and safety
- Scouting new sources of local water
- Making water purchase agreements with major federal and state-owned water projects, such as the State Water Project
- Planning for long-term water…
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