Helix Water District
Helix Water District is a not-for-profit California special district providing water supply, treatment, and distribution to more than 500,000 residents across San Diego's East County through 740+ miles of pipeline and the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant, and operating a 5.86 MW shared EV charging depot.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1955
- HeadquartersLa Mesa, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Helix Water District firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Helix Water District
- Legal name
- Helix Water District
- Website
- https://hwd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1955
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Helix Water District is a not-for-profit California special district providing water supply, treatment, and distribution to more than 500,000 residents across San Diego's East County through 740+ miles of pipeline and the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant, and operating a 5.86 MW shared EV charging depot.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Helix Water District industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Water Utility
- NAICS
- Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)
- SIC
- Water Supply (4941)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB), Treated Water Storage & Pressure Management (Reservoirs, Tanks, Booster Stations) (EUANAAAD), Pump Stations, Lift Stations & Booster Stations Construction (IMAFAGAD), Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)
Keywords
Where Helix Water District is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La Mesa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Helix Water District business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Water Service Fees: Helix Water District generates revenue through water service fees charged to residential, commercial, and industrial customers within its service territory. As a not-for-profit public water system, fees are designed to cover operational costs and infrastructure maintenance.
- Capacity Fees: New metered connections to Helix's water system require payment of capacity fees that help pay for renewing existing infrastructure and developing additional capacity. Fees vary by meter size, ranging from $15,776 (3/4 inch) to $92,339 (2 inch) total including SDCWA fees.
- Development and Construction Fees: Fees for development projects including project initiation fees, field estimate fees, water availability form fees, improvement processing fees, plan check deposits, and easement acquisition fees.
- Construction Meters: Temporary water meters for construction purposes charged at $3,371 deposit plus installation, removal, and water use charges of $9.45 per unit (748 gallons).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | 2026 Capacity Fee Schedule - 3/4 Inch Meter |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | 2026 Capacity Fee Schedule - 1 Inch Meter |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | 2026 Capacity Fee Schedule - 1.5 Inch Meter |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | 2026 Capacity Fee Schedule - 2 Inch Meter |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Construction Meter Charges |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fire Hydrant Flow Test Fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Helix Water District product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Helix Water District is a not-for-profit public water system that supplies, treats, and distributes potable water to over 500,000 residents and commercial customers in San Diego's East County through an owned network of over 740 miles of pipeline, the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant, Lake Jennings reservoir, and supporting pump stations. Beyond core water delivery, the district operates conservation and rebate programs, construction and development services for new connections, backflow prevention, drought response management, and California's first large-scale public-agency EV charging depot at its Nat L. Eggert Operations Center.
Product overview
Helix Water District is a not-for-profit public water system serving San Diego's East County suburbs with a comprehensive water utility infrastructure. The district operates as a unified utility providing water supply from Lake Jennings, treatment at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant, and distribution through over 740 miles of pipeline serving over 500,000 residents. The district is currently undergoing major infrastructure modernization through the East County Advanced Water Purification Project, which aims to provide drought-proof water for up to 30% of East County's needs. Additionally, Helix has launched an EV Fleet Electrification Initiative centered at its Nat L. Eggert Operations Center in El Cajon, deploying an 87-charger, 5.86-megawatt charging depot with AI-powered BetterFleet charge management software. The district supports customer self-service through online bill payment via InvoiceCloud, an ArcGIS-powered outage map, and construction/development services including backflow prevention and submetering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Water Utility Services Core water supply, treatment, distribution, and storage service delivering treated potable water to over 500,000 residents and commercial customers in San Diego's East County through 740+ miles of pipeline, 16,000+ valves, reservoir tanks, pump stations, and flow control facilities.
- R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant Water treatment facility in Lakeside that uses ozone for disinfection and supplies treated water to the district's distribution system; includes multiple capital improvement projects (ozone control system replacement, flocculator drive system, traveling bridge over sedimentation basins).
- Lake Jennings Recreation and Water Storage Recreational reservoir and water storage facility operated by Helix Water District, including campground facilities and serving as a key component of the district's water supply infrastructure.
- Water Conservation Programs Conservation services including rebates, free home water use evaluations, leak detection support, irrigation training, and landscape education programs to help residential and commercial customers reduce water usage and meet drought-tier conservation targets.
- Construction and Development Services Engineering and construction services for private development projects, including service installation, water main extension, improvements, fire hydrant flow tests, backflow prevention, submetering, and CEQA notice processing; includes project initiation, field estimate, plan check, and easement acquisition fees.
- Backflow Prevention Services Cross-connection control service for commercial, industrial, irrigation, and residential properties including backflow prevention assembly installation, certified testing, and submission of test reports through the SwiftComply online portal.
- East County Advanced Water Purification Project Joint Powers Authority infrastructure program to provide drought-proof water supply for up to 30% of East County's needs by modernizing facilities and improving infrastructure; includes Chet Harritt Pump Station upgrades, Lake Jennings outlet tower evaluation, and aeration system installation.
- Public-Agency EV Charging Depot California's first large-scale public-agency EV charging facility, providing 5.86 megawatts of total capacity across 87 high-power DC charging ports at the Nat L. Eggert Operations Center in El Cajon, serving Helix's zero-emission fleet transition while sharing capacity with neighboring public-sector agencies for emergency and critical service vehicles.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 30% of East County's water needs to be provided drought-proof through Advanced Water Purification
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Helix Water District
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Helix Water District technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
AI capability1 record
Feature3 records
Helix Water District partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BetterFleetcoreBetterFleet provides AI-powered managed charging software for Helix's 5.86 MW EV charging depot with 87 high-capacity chargers. The system uses AI-driven vehicle prioritization, load management to control demand charges, and offline operation capabilities for mission-critical reliability.
- East County Advanced Water Purification Program Joint Powers AuthoritycoreMulti-agency partnership for developing advanced water purification infrastructure. Projects include Chet Harritt Pump Station upgrades, Lake Jennings outlet tower evaluation, and aeration system installation. The program aims to provide drought-proof water for up to 30% of East County's needs.
- Neighboring Public-Sector AgenciesminorRegional collaboration partners who will have shared access to Helix's EV charging infrastructure when not in use by Helix Water District, promoting regional fleet electrification.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Helix Water District competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- San Diego County Water Authority: The regional wholesale water supplier serving San Diego County, including Helix Water District. Direct institutional counterparty and the largest comparable water entity in Helix's service geography.
- City of San Diego Public Utilities Department: Largest municipal water utility in San Diego County, providing retail water and wastewater service. Comparable in mission and regulated structure but materially larger in scale.
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Regional wholesale water supplier across Southern California, an upstream counterparty to Helix. Comparable in governance (member agencies, board structure) and capital program scale.
- California Water Service: Investor-owned water utility serving California (including San Diego-area districts). Comparable in core water utility operations but with private ownership, rate-base regulation, and broader geographic footprint.
- American Water: Largest investor-owned water and wastewater utility in the U.S., with regulated rate-base operations. Comparable in customer-serving utility model but operates across multiple states under private corporate governance.
Direct peers
- Sweetwater Authority: Neighboring South Bay water district serving Chula Vista and surrounding areas. Operates a comparable retail water utility model with treatment, distribution, and conservation programs.
- Otay Water District: Adjacent San Diego County water district serving eastern Chula Vista and unincorporated areas. Operates similar treatment, storage, and pipeline infrastructure with comparable residential/commercial customer mix.
- Padre Dam Municipal Water District: East County water and wastewater district serving Santee, El Cajon, and Lakeside. Directly overlaps with portions of Helix's service area and operates a similar pipeline and treatment network.
- Carlsbad Municipal Water District: Coastal North County water district in San Diego County operating retail water service with comparable customer base, rate structure, and infrastructure modernization programs.
Regional players
- Eastern Municipal Water District: Large retail water and wastewater district in Riverside County, California. Highly comparable as a Southern California special district with similar climate adaptation, recycled water, and infrastructure renewal programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Helix Water District social profiles
Digital presenceHelix Water District compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance19 records
Helix Water District financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Helix Water District leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Helix Water District funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Helix Water District M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Helix Water District
What does Helix Water District do?
Helix Water District is a not-for-profit public water system that supplies, treats, and distributes potable water to over 500,000 residents and commercial customers in San Diego's East County through an owned network of over 740 miles of pipeline, the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant, Lake Jennings reservoir, and supporting pump stations. Beyond core water delivery, the district operates conservation and rebate programs, construction and development services for new connections, backflow prevention, drought response management, and California's first large-scale public-agency EV charging depot at its Nat L. Eggert Operations Center.
Is Helix Water District a public or private company?
Helix Water District is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Helix Water District founded?
Helix Water District was founded in 1955. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Helix Water District based?
Helix Water District is headquartered in La Mesa, United States, in the North America region.
How does Helix Water District make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Water Service Fees are the primary driver. The others are capacity Fees, development and Construction Fees and construction Meters.
Who are Helix Water District's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are San Diego County Water Authority, City of San Diego Public Utilities Department, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, California Water Service and American Water. Direct peers are Sweetwater Authority, Otay Water District, Padre Dam Municipal Water District and Carlsbad Municipal Water District. Eastern Municipal Water District is listed as a regional player.
Does Helix Water District have an API?
No public API is recorded for Helix Water District.
What industry is Helix Water District in?
Helix Water District's product category is Public Water Utility. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAG, Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration, with a secondary code of EUANAAAB, Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations). Its NAICS code is 22131 and its SIC code is 4941.