Colorado River Municipal Water District

What Colorado River Municipal Water District does

Colorado River Municipal Water District (CRMWD) is a Texas-legislated municipal water district headquartered in Big Spring, Texas, that provides wholesale raw water to municipal, industrial, mining, and rural customers across a 36-county service area in West Texas. Established by Governor Beauford Jester's signature on June 8, 1949, the district was formed to secure quality water supply for the region and serves more than 600,000 residents today, delivering nearly 19 billion gallons of water annually.

CRMWD's core infrastructure comprises three surface water reservoirs — Lake J.B. Thomas (200,604 acre-feet, 1952), E.V. Spence Reservoir (517,262 acre-feet, 1969), and O.H. Ivie Reservoir (554,340 acre-feet, 1990) — which together provide 97% of supply. These are backed by four groundwater well fields (75 wells drawing from the Pecos Valley Alluvium Aquifer) and the Raw Water Production Facility, the nation's first direct potable reuse facility commissioned in 2013 at a $14 million investment, which uses microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet disinfection to produce 1.5 million gallons of reclaimed water per day. Water is conveyed through 600 miles of pipeline, 27 pump stations, and 13 ground storage or earthen reservoirs (300 million gallons of storage capacity), with peak delivery capacity of 160 million gallons per day and an average of 52 million gallons per day. A multi-decade salt diversion system has prevented over one million tons of salt from entering municipal supplies.

CRMWD generates revenue primarily through wholesale raw water sales under subscription-style supply agreements with 10 municipal customers (member cities Big Spring, Odessa, and Snyder, plus Abilene, Midland, San Angelo, Grandfalls, Millersview-Doole WSC, and Stanton), 3 industrial customers, 7 mining customers, and approximately 300 rural water users. The district operates as a self-funded government entity with an annual operating budget of approximately $40 million, governed by a board representing the three member cities under day-to-day management of General Manager Cole Walker (since December 2021). Recreation permit sales and water conservation education provide ancillary community-facing services but are immaterial to the core revenue model.

Name

Colorado River Municipal Water District

Legal name

Colorado River Municipal Water District

Website

https://crmwd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Colorado River Municipal Water District is a Texas-legislated municipal water district that delivers wholesale raw water to 10 municipal, 3 industrial, 7 mining, and approximately 300 rural customers across a 36-county West Texas service area, supplying over 600,000 residents with nearly 19 billion gallons annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Utilities (Advanced Treatment & Blending) (EUANAGAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale water supply
• Municipal water utility
• Water infrastructure services
• Raw water distribution
• Water treatment operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Big Spring

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Raw Water Sales: CRMWD generates revenue through wholesale raw water sales to its member cities (Big Spring, Odessa, Snyder), additional municipal customers, industrial customers, mining customers, and rural water users. The district provides nearly 19 billion gallons of water annually across its 36-county service area. Revenue model is subscription-based water supply agreements with municipal and industrial customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRMWD provides wholesale raw water supply and distribution to municipal, industrial, mining, and rural customers across 36 counties in West Texas through 600 miles of pipeline, 27 pump stations, three major reservoirs, four groundwater well fields, and the nation's first direct potable reuse facility. The district delivers nearly 19 billion gallons of water annually to more than 600,000 residents, with a maximum supply capacity of 160 million gallons per day.

Product overview

CRMWD operates as a wholesale raw water utility providing integrated water supply services to West Texas. The core offerings include three major surface water reservoirs (Lake J.B. Thomas, E.V. Spence, and O.H. Ivie) supplying 97% of water needs, supplemented by four groundwater well fields with 75 wells. The district operates the nation's first direct potable reuse facility (Raw Water Production Facility), which reclaims 1.5 MGD of water using microfiltration, reverse osmosis, and UV disinfection. Infrastructure includes 600 miles of pipeline, 27 pump stations, and 13 storage facilities with 300 million gallon capacity. Recreation services at three reservoirs and three wildlife management areas complement the core water supply mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Raw Water Supply and Distribution Services
• Surface Water Supply from Three Reservoirs
• Groundwater Well Field Supply
• Raw Water Production Facility (Direct Potable Reuse)
• Recreation Services at Lakes and Wildlife Management Areas

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 19 billion gallons of quality water delivered annually to West Texas
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA): Texas regional water and utility authority that supplies wholesale water across multiple counties and operates reservoirs, power, and transmission assets. Closest functional analog to CRMWD as a Texas wholesale water provider with multi-county territorial rights.
• Brazos River Authority: Texas river authority operating reservoirs and supplying wholesale raw water to municipal, industrial, and agricultural customers across Central Texas. Comparable wholesale raw water utility model and customer mix.
• Tarrant Regional Water District: Large regional water district in North Texas supplying wholesale raw water to municipal customers across multiple counties. Similar legislative charter, infrastructure scale, and wholesale business model.
• North Texas Municipal Water District: Regional water district serving municipalities in North Texas with wholesale water supply and treatment infrastructure. Directly comparable wholesale utility charter and multi-city customer base.
• Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority: Texas river authority providing wholesale water and related utility services across a multi-county service area. Operates reservoirs and water treatment infrastructure similar to CRMWD's portfolio.
• Trinity River Authority of Texas: Texas river authority managing reservoirs and providing water/wastewater services to municipal and industrial customers. Comparable legislative establishment and wholesale utility profile.
• Edwards Aquifer Authority: Texas regional water authority managing aquifer resources and water rights in Central Texas. Comparable Texas-legislated territorial water rights authority with municipal and industrial customer base.

Broad incumbents

• El Paso Water: Large municipal water utility serving the El Paso region in West Texas with retail water, wastewater, and desalination. Geographically adjacent to CRMWD and operates in a similarly arid climate with comparable water scarcity challenges.
• San Antonio Water System (SAWS): Large Texas municipal water utility providing retail water, wastewater, and recycled water services. Comparable in scale and water reuse focus but operates as a vertically integrated retail utility rather than a wholesale raw water provider.
• Dallas Water Utilities: Major Texas municipal water utility providing retail water and wastewater services to the City of Dallas. Comparable Texas water utility scale and regulatory framework but retail-focused rather than wholesale raw water.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Colorado River Municipal Water District