Coastside County Water District

What Coastside County Water District does

Coastside County Water District (CCWD) is a public water utility district established in 1947 and organized under Division 12, Sections 30000-33901 of the California Water Code. It provides treated water and distribution services to approximately 7,700 connections serving a population of roughly 19,000 across the City of Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated coastal communities of El Granada, Miramar, and Princeton in San Mateo County. The district operates two water treatment plants (Denniston and Nunes), ten treated water storage tanks, and 100 miles of distribution and transmission pipeline, with facilities collectively valued at approximately $400 million.

The district sources wholesale water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) via the Hetch Hetchy system through the Crystal Springs Water Supply Project completed in 1994, supplementing this with local surface water rights on Pilarcitos Creek (360 acre-feet per year maximum diversion, roughly 20% of annual demand). Its technology stack consists of advanced metering infrastructure (installed 2018), a SCADA system for remote monitoring and automated control of wells and treatment facilities, and variable frequency drives at pump stations; these support the WaterSmart customer portal for remote meter reading and leak detection. CCWD is staffed by 21 to 25 full-time employees and is governed by a five-member elected Board of Directors operating on a zone-based electoral system adopted in 2020.

The district's business model is a regulated utility cost-recovery model. Revenue is generated through usage-based monthly water service rates designed to recover the costs of purchasing, treating, and distributing water; funding infrastructure projects; and maintaining adequate financial reserves. The Board adopted a three-year rate schedule in November 2024 (Resolution No. 2024-07) with an 8% increase effective January 19, 2026. Customer segments are residential-primary with a smaller commercial base, and customer acquisition occurs through new service connections within the district's exclusive service territory. Capital funding comes from connection fees, reserves, and periodic voter-approved bond issuances, with a $300,000 U.S. Department of Energy grant received in October 2023 representing the only known non-rate external funding event.

Name

Coastside County Water District

Legal name

Coastside County Water District

Website

https://coastsidewater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Coastside County Water District is a public water utility district serving approximately 7,700 connections and 19,000 residents across Half Moon Bay and unincorporated coastal communities in San Mateo County, California, with treated water delivered through two treatment plants and 100 miles of pipeline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water Utility

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Treated water distribution
• Municipal water supply
• Water treatment operations
• Water infrastructure management

Headquarters

HQ city

Half Moon Bay

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Water Service Rates: The district generates revenue through water service rates charged to customers. On November 12, 2024, the Board adopted a three-year rate schedule with an 8% increase effective January 19, 2026. Rates are designed to recover costs of buying, treating, and distributing water; funding infrastructure projects; and maintaining adequate financial reserves.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Coastside County Water District is a public water utility that provides treated water distribution and related customer services to approximately 7,700 connections and 19,000 residents in the City of Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated coastal communities of El Granada, Miramar, and Princeton-By-The-Sea in San Mateo County, California. The district owns and operates two water treatment plants (Denniston and Nunes), 10 treated water storage tanks, and 100 miles of distribution and transmission pipeline. It supplements its core water service with the WaterSmart Customer Portal enabled by advanced metering infrastructure, water quality monitoring, conservation programs, and customer account management.

Product overview

Coastside County Water District provides treated water distribution services to the City of Half Moon Bay and unincorporated coastal communities in San Mateo County. The core offering is treated water supply through two water treatment plants (Denniston and Nunes), 10 storage tanks, and 100 miles of pipeline serving approximately 7,700 connections and 19,000 people. The district supplements its core water service with the WaterSmart Customer Portal (an advanced metering infrastructure platform enabling remote meter reading and leak detection), water quality monitoring, water conservation programs, emergency preparedness services, and standard customer account management. The district operates as a California county water district under Division 12 of the California Water Code.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Treated Water Distribution Core water utility service providing treated water from the Denniston and Nunes Water Treatment Plants through 100 miles of pipeline to approximately 7,700 connections and 19,000 residents in the City of Half Moon Bay, El Granada, Miramar, and Princeton.
• WaterSmart Customer Portal Free online water management tool providing customers with remote meter reading, water use notifications, and faster leak detection capabilities, integrated with the district's advanced metering infrastructure.
• New Water Service Connection Process and fees for establishing a new water service connection to the district's distribution system for properties within the service territory.
• Water Quality Monitoring and Reporting Water quality monitoring and reporting services including fluoridation programs and lead information disclosure to ensure safe drinking water standards for customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19,000+ population served with 7,700 water connections
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026SFPUC is the wholesale water supplier to CCWD. CCWD obtains water from SFPUC's Hetch Hetchy system via access to Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir through the Crystal Springs Water Supply Project completed in 1994. SFPUC CFO Nancy Horn previewed a projected 7.4% water rate increase to be effective July 1, 2026 at the SFPUC Annual Wholesale Meeting.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Badger Meter: Major provider of AMI and metering technology to North American water utilities. Comparable as an enabling technology vendor serving the same operational function (remote meter reading) that CCWD deployed in its 2018 AMI rollout.
• WaterSmart Software: Vendor of the customer portal and AMI integration platform that CCWD uses. While not a peer in operating model, WaterSmart is a directly relevant technology provider for CCWD's digital customer engagement and conservation programs.

Broad incumbents

• California Water Service (Cal Water): Investor-owned water utility operating across California (and other states) with a regulated rate-base model comparable to CCWD. Serves many of the same coastal California geographies and represents a private-sector analog to CCWD's public utility model.
• San Jose Water Company: Investor-owned regulated water utility serving the greater San Jose area. Comparable in scale to CCWD's larger neighboring systems and operates under California Public Utilities Commission regulation with similar rate-base and infrastructure characteristics.
• San Diego County Water Authority: Regional wholesale water supplier and convener of 24 member agencies in San Diego County. Comparable to CCWD in regulatory structure and to SFPUC's role as wholesale supplier—offering a relevant model for how CCWD could evolve as a regional convener.
• East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD): Large regional Bay Area water and wastewater utility serving 1.4 million customers. Operates under the same California Water Code framework and is directly comparable in regulatory model, though at significantly greater scale than CCWD.

Regional players

• Contra Costa Water District: California water district serving eastern Contra Costa County via similar surface water treatment and distribution infrastructure. Comparable in scale, regulatory framework (California Water Code), and customer-type profile to CCWD.

Direct peers

• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Wholesale water supplier to CCWD and operator of the Hetch Hetchy regional water system. SFPUC is both CCWD's most critical counterparty and a directly comparable municipal water utility serving the broader Bay Area, with the same regulated cost-recovery rate model.
• Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: California municipal water district serving coastal foothill communities in Los Angeles County. Operates imported water-dependent treatment and distribution infrastructure under similar regulatory and rate-recovery frameworks, and comparable in customer count to CCWD.
• Marin Municipal Water District: California municipal water district serving coastal Marin County with similar scale (~190,000 customers) and regulatory structure under the same state framework. Highly comparable as a coastal California water utility with surface water sources, treatment plants, and AMI deployments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CoastsideWater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coastside-county-water-district

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Coastside County Water District