Calleguas Municipal Water District

What Calleguas Municipal Water District does

Calleguas Municipal Water District is an independent California special district, organized in 1953 under Article 9 of the Municipal Water District Act of 1911, that operates as a wholesale-only water utility serving southeastern Ventura County. It imports water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (sourced primarily from the State Water Project and Colorado River), conveys it through a 1.3-mile Santa Susana Tunnel, treats it at the 65 MGD Lake Bard Water Filtration Plant, and distributes via 130+ miles of large-diameter pipelines to 19 member purveyors — cities, local water agencies, county waterworks districts, investor-owned utilities, and mutual water companies — that collectively serve roughly 506,000-650,000 residents (approximately 75% of Ventura County's population) across a 366 square-mile service area.

The District's core technology stack is large-scale physical water infrastructure: a 10,500 acre-feet (3.4 billion gallon) surface reservoir at Lake Bard, the 18-well Las Posas Aquifer Storage and Recovery Wellfield (supported by the Grandsen Pump Station), and the 22-mile Salinity Management Pipeline that conveys brine to an ocean outfall in Port Hueneme, enabling productive use of high-salinity groundwater that would otherwise be unusable. Operational systems include a state-accredited laboratory for water quality monitoring, compliance with federal/state water quality standards and an NPDES permit, and capacity-expansion projects such as the recently completed Calleguas-Las Virgenes Interconnection and the pending Calleguas-Ventura Interconnection (Project 562, ~$22.3M).

Calleguas generates revenue primarily through wholesale water sales to its 19 member purveyors at rates adopted annually, supplemented by parcel-based water standby charges that fund reliability infrastructure, one-time annexation fees on new territory (administrative fee ~$21,000 plus escalating per-acre fees), and transaction-based Salinity Management Pipeline discharge fees. The District is governed by a five-member elected Board of Directors, operates with 51-100 employees, and runs an approximately $20 million annual capital budget on a base of state and federal grants totaling over $45 million. Its strategic posture — codified in the 2023 'New Model for Resilience' Strategic Plan — emphasizes water-source diversification, inter-agency interconnection, and long-term resilience against drought and climate disruption.

Name

Calleguas Municipal Water District

Legal name

Calleguas Municipal Water District

Website

https://calleguas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Calleguas Municipal Water District is a California special district that imports, treats, and wholesales water to 19 member purveyors serving roughly 506,000 residents across 366 square miles of southeastern Ventura County, leveraging Lake Bard reservoir, a 65 MGD treatment plant, and a 130-mile pipeline network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Reclaimed/Reuse Water Transmission Pipelines (Regional/Interbasin) (TLAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Treatment Plant Construction (Drinking Water) (IMAFAGAA), Wastewater Interceptor & Regional Conveyance Pipelines (Long-Distance) (TLAGAHAE)

Keywords

• Wholesale water supply
• Water treatment services
• Water infrastructure operations
• Recycled water distribution
• Groundwater banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Thousand Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Water Sales: Calleguas generates revenue primarily through wholesale water sales to its 19 member purveyors. Water rates are set annually and apply to member agencies, who then set their own rates for end consumers. The district publishes adopted water rates annually.
2. Water Standby Charges: Annual parcel charges assessed on all properties within the service area benefiting from availability of imported water. Revenue is directed primarily to construction of facilities that increase water supply reliability.
3. Annexation Fees: Administrative expenses beginning at approximately $21,000 plus annexation fees per acre (increasing annually) charged to landowners annexing property to the district service area.
4. Salinity Management Pipeline Discharge Fees: Fees charged to permitted dischargers for brine disposal services through the Salinity Management Pipeline system.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Calleguas Municipal Water District is a public special district that provides wholesale treated and untreated water, water storage, groundwater banking, and salinity/brine management services to 19 member purveyors (cities, water districts, mutual water companies, and an investor-owned utility) across Ventura County, California, serving a population of roughly 506,000 to 650,000. It operates a 130+ mile pipeline network, the 10,500 acre-foot Lake Bard Reservoir, the 65 MGD Lake Bard Water Filtration Plant, the 22-mile Salinity Management Pipeline, the 18-well Las Posas ASR Wellfield, and the Santa Susana Tunnel.

Product overview

Calleguas Municipal Water District operates as a wholesale water utility providing supplemental water supply to southeastern Ventura County through a portfolio of infrastructure and services. The core product is wholesale water distribution to 19 member purveyors serving approximately 75% of Ventura County's 506,000 residents. Water is primarily imported from the State Water Project via Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, distributed through 130+ miles of pipelines, with storage at Lake Bard (10,500 acre-feet) and the Las Posas Aquifer Storage and Recovery Wellfield. Key infrastructure includes the 65 MGD Lake Bard Water Filtration Plant, the 22-mile Salinity Management Pipeline for brine disposal enabling local groundwater development, the Santa Susana Tunnel for conveyance, and interconnect projects with neighboring districts. Supporting services include water quality testing (state-accredited laboratory), water use efficiency and conservation programs with rebates, recycled water distribution, and regional water supply planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Water Distribution
• Lake Bard Water Filtration Plant

Quantifiable outcome

• 506,000 people served through member purveyors
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• City of VenturamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The Calleguas-Ventura Interconnection project (Project 562, estimated at $22,265,000) will connect Calleguas's distribution system with City of Ventura's water system, providing additional supply redundancy and emergency backup capabilities. Bid opening was rescheduled to May 19, 2026.
• Ventura County Retired Employees' AssociationminorOthers · 1 January 2025Director Reddy Pakala, Calleguas's representative on the Metropolitan Water District Board, serves as President of the Ventura County Retired Employees' Association.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Calleguas and Metropolitan are collaborating on the Sepulveda Feeder Pump Stations Project, which will push Colorado River water and stored supplies from Diamond Valley Lake into areas that currently have limited access to these resources, including Calleguas's service area.
• Fox Canyon Groundwater Management AgencyminorOthers · 1 January 2024Calleguas interfaces with the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency on groundwater policy, and Deputy General Manager Ian Prichard chairs the Las Posas Valley Basin Watermaster Policy Advisory Committee.
• Watersheds Coalition of Ventura CountymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Calleguas serves as a key participant in the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County, a collaborative regional water management group. Calleguas has led countywide grant pursuit efforts resulting in tens of millions of dollars in funding for agencies and non-profits working in Ventura County water and land stewardship.
• Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Calleguas participates in the Turnkey Turf Transformation (T3) Program, a collaborative effort among four Southern California water agencies led by IEUA. Funded by California Department of Water Resources through the 2022 Urban Community Drought Relief Grant Program, the program transforms non-functional turf into drought-tolerant landscapes.
• Las Virgenes Municipal Water DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020The Calleguas-Las Virgenes Interconnection is a completed pipeline connection project between the two districts. This interconnection improves regional resilience during outages and allows water transfer between systems. The districts also formed a joint Public Financing Authority for project funding.
• UC Master Gardeners of Ventura CountyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Calleguas partners with UC Master Gardeners of Ventura County to further gardening education and community outreach. Together they created the True Colors Garden and Learning Center at the Goebel Center in Thousand Oaks, showcasing climate-appropriate plants that require less water.
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1953Calleguas joined Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in 1960. Metropolitan is the nation's largest water purveyor and provides Calleguas with imported water from the State Water Project and Colorado River. This is a foundational membership relationship essential to Calleguas's water supply. In return, Calleguas represents Ventura County on Metropolitan's Board of Directors through its appointed director.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• San Diego County Water Authority: Regional wholesale water supplier serving San Diego County. Functions at greater scale than Calleguas within the same imported-water framework, with similar mission of regional supply reliability and comparable infrastructure profile.
• Central Basin Municipal Water District: Wholesale water district in southeast Los Angeles County. Operates within the same imported-supply paradigm as Calleguas, with similar regulatory structure but in a more urbanized and industrial service area.
• Municipal Water District of Orange County: Larger wholesale water district serving Orange County. Operates in the same Metropolitan Water District ecosystem, with broader geographic and service scope but a closely aligned business model and customer base.

Regional players

• East Bay Municipal Utility District: Large Northern California wholesale/retail water and wastewater utility. Comparable in function (water treatment, storage, distribution, ASR) but in a different climate region and water-rights framework.

Direct peers

• Camrosa Water District: Public water purveyor in eastern Camarillo and Santa Rosa Valley, one of Calleguas's 19 member purveyors. Directly comparable in serving agricultural and residential customers in the Calleguas service area, with shared dependence on Calleguas supply.
• Inland Empire Utilities Agency: Regional wastewater and recycled water agency in San Bernardino County. Comparable in regional water infrastructure, recycled water distribution, and collaboration on Southern California water efficiency programs (e.g., the T3 Turf Transformation program with Calleguas).
• Western Municipal Water District: Wholesale and retail water district in Riverside County serving approximately 600,000 people. Similar mix of imported water reliance, recycled water programs, and treatment infrastructure; directly comparable business model.
• Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: Neighboring Southern California wholesale/retreat water district serving the Las Virgenes area. Directly comparable in scale, customer type, and operational model, and recently interconnected with Calleguas via the Calleguas-Las Virgenes Interconnection project.
• Three Valleys Municipal Water District: Wholesale water district in eastern Los Angeles County that supplies imported water to retail agencies. Similar role within the Metropolitan Water District system, comparable scale, and parallel regulatory/mission profile.
• Ventura County Waterworks District No. 8: Municipal water system serving the majority of Simi Valley, one of Calleguas's largest member purveyors. Directly dependent on Calleguas wholesale supply with a closely aligned customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJ4xS3dGMd7lWCLJH5YQJmA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calleguas-municipal-water-dist
• Xx.com/CalleguasMWD
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalleguasMWD

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Calleguas Municipal Water District