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  • Water Division

    The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is responsible for ensuring that California’s investor-owned water utilities deliver clean, safe, and reliable water to their customers at reasonable rates. Water Division regulates over a 100 investor-owned water and sewer utilities under the CPUC’s jurisdiction providing water service to about 16 percent of California’s residents. Approximately 95 percent of that total is served by 9 large water utilities each serving more than 10,000 connections. Annual water and wastewater revenues under the CPUC’s regulation total $1.4 billion.

  • The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) - Water Division (WD) investigates water and sewer system service quality issues, analyzes, and processes utility rate change requests. The CPUC works directly with utility management to track and certify compliance with CPUC requirements.
    WD provides advisory services of regulated utilities and water public programs, and monitors compliance with laws and CPUC directives. WD performs research, analysis, and assessments and communicates the results to the CPUC and its staff, the regulated utilities, and the public.

  • Drought and Conservation Information

    Following unprecedented water conservation and plentiful winter rain and snow, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. ended the drought state of emergency in most of California on 4/7/2017, while maintaining water reporting requirements and prohibitions on wasteful practices, such as watering during or right after rainfall.

    “This drought emergency is over, but the next drought could be around the corner,” said Governor Brown. “Conservation must remain a way of life.”   

    Executive Order B-40-17 lifts the drought emergency in all California counties except Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Tuolumne, where emergency drinking water projects will continue to help address diminished groundwater supplies.  This order also rescinds two emergency proclamations from January and April 2014 and four drought-related executive orders issued in 2014 and 2015. 

    Executive Order B-40-17 builds on actions taken in Executive Order B-37-16, which remains in effect, to continue making water conservation a way of life in California.


    Additional Information Regarding the Drought and the 25 Percent Reduction  

  • Glass of Water

    Statewide Mandatory Reduction

    More Info

  • News and Updates

    • In 2012, Assembly Bill 685 was signed by Governor Brown making California the first state to have legislation declaring the human right to water. Now as Water Code 106.3, the law establishes that all persons in California "has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking and sanitary purposes.
         
       
    • The State Water Resources Control Board's Division of Drinking Water (Division), in collaboration with the California Department of Education, has taken the initiative to begin testing drinking water in schools (K-12) for lead. Schools that are served by a municipality, water district, mutual water company, or other public water system may request assistance from their public water system to conduct water sampling for lead and to provide technical assistance if an elevated lead sample site is found.
       

  • Consumer Information

  • Water

    Available Documents

    Please use the link below to access information regarding Advice Letters.
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    Glass of Water

    Annual Reports

    All public utilities doing business in California are required to file reports as specified by the Commission of the utilities' operations.
    Learn More
    Man answering a telephone call

    Consumer Confidence Reports

    It is required by law that all Public Water Systems prepare and distribute to its customers by July 1st of every year a Consumer Confidence Report.

     

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    Low Income Assistance Programs

    The Low-Income Oversight Board (LIOB) advises the Commission on low-income electric, gas, and water customer issues and serves as a liaison for the Commission to low-income ratepayers and representatives.
    Learn More

  • Resources

  • CPUC Regulates Water

    Water Action Plan 2010

    Policy objectives for the regulation of investor-owned water utilities highlighting the actions that the California Public Utilities Commission anticipated or would consider taking in order to implement these objectives.

    Additional Information

    Lake Oroville July 2015

    Department of Water Resources

    The Department of Water Resources (DWR) is responsible for managing and protecting California’s
    water.

    Visit the California Department of Water Resources Website


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