Long Beach Water Department

What Long Beach Water Department does

Long Beach Utilities is a municipal department of the City of Long Beach, California, founded in 1911 and operating as the sole provider of water, natural gas, and sewer/wastewater services within city limits. The utility serves approximately 466,000 residents and the local commercial and industrial base through a vertically integrated infrastructure of pipelines, treatment facilities, and pumping stations. Its core technology is conventional municipal water treatment (ground, imported, and recycled sources), natural gas distribution with safety inspection programs (atmospheric corrosion surveys, cross bore inspections), and sewer collection systems supported by smoke testing and healthy sewers programs.

The business model is a regulated municipal utility ratepayer model: recurring service fees for water, gas, and sewer, set through a formal Rates & Fees process and supplemented by developer fees for new connections via the Development Services channel. Revenue streams are diversified across three utility lines and a large residential/commercial customer base, with no individual customer concentration. Supporting digital and program layers include the MyUtilityPortal customer self-service platform (launched November 2025), the Live Smart LB advanced metering infrastructure program, and a portfolio of water and gas efficiency incentive programs (Direct Install Appliances, rebates, and the Certified Blue Restaurant certification). Governance is provided by a Board of Commissioners with day-to-day leadership by a General Manager and two Assistant General Managers.

The utility is government-owned and not a commercial investment vehicle; it does not raise private capital, has no disclosed funding rounds or M&A activity, and operates under the regulatory authority of California state agencies and the EPA. Strategic direction is shaped by California drought policy (Assembly Bill 1572 nonfunctional turf rules), recycled water expansion mandates, and ongoing capital improvement investment rather than market-driven competitive dynamics.

Name

Long Beach Water Department

Legal name

City of Long Beach Utilities Department

Website

https://lbwater.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Long Beach Utilities is a City of Long Beach municipal department providing integrated water, natural gas, and sewer services to approximately 466,000 residents and local businesses, operating on ratepayer fees under a government-entrusted monopoly within city limits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Wastewater Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Utilities (221)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

Keywords

• Municipal water supply
• Wastewater collection services
• Natural gas distribution
• Utility customer service
• Water efficiency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Utility Service Fees: Long Beach Utilities generates revenue through water, gas, and sewer service fees charged to residential and commercial customers within Long Beach, CA. Rates and fees are set through a formal rates and fees process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Long Beach Water Department (operating as Long Beach Utilities) is a municipal utility department of the City of Long Beach, California that delivers potable drinking water, natural gas, and sewer/wastewater services to residential and commercial customers within city limits. The department operates water treatment, gas distribution, and sewer collection infrastructure and supports customers through an online self-service portal (MyUtilityPortal), a walk-in office, and dedicated emergency response lines.

Product overview

Long Beach Utilities operates as a municipal water, gas, and sewer utility providing essential public services to the City of Long Beach. The organization offers three core utility products: Water Utility Services (potable water distribution, quality management, treatment, and sources including recycled water), Natural Gas Distribution (safety, pipeline management, and efficiency), and Sewer/Wastewater Services. These core services are supported by customer-facing digital platforms including MyUtilityPortal for online bill payment and account management, and Smart Water Meters (Live Smart LB) for advanced metering. Additional offerings include efficiency programs such as Direct Install Appliances, Rebates and Incentives, and the Certified Blue Restaurant program. Development Services provide engineering and permitting for infrastructure connections.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Water Utility Services Municipal water distribution and management services including potable water supply, water quality monitoring, water treatment, and management of ground, imported, and recycled water sources for Long Beach residents and businesses.
• Natural Gas Distribution Municipal natural gas distribution services including gas safety programs, pipeline inspections, atmospheric corrosion surveys, cross bore inspections, and natural gas efficiency programs for residential and commercial customers in Long Beach.
• Sewer/Wastewater Services Municipal sewer and wastewater collection services including sewer backup management, healthy sewers programs, and sewer smoke testing for Long Beach residents and businesses.
• MyUtilityPortal Customer self-service online portal enabling customers to view and pay utility bills, manage accounts, and access customer service features digitally for water, gas, and sewer services.
• Smart Water Meters (Live Smart LB) Advanced metering infrastructure program allowing residential and commercial customers to monitor water usage data and improve water efficiency through real-time tracking.
• Development Services Engineering and permitting services for water, sewer, and natural gas infrastructure including fire flow tests, standard drawings, backflow preventer plan checks, grease trap inspections, and new service connection installations for builders and developers.
• Consumer Confidence Report Annual water quality report providing detailed information about drinking water quality, sources, and treatment processes as required by EPA regulations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: Special district water and wastewater provider in Los Angeles County. Comparable as a municipal water/sewer utility operating under similar California water quality rules and serving residential and commercial customers.
• Pasadena Water and Power: Municipal utility providing water and electric service to Pasadena, CA. Comparable as a city-owned multi-service utility in the same Southern California region with similar customer base and regulatory environment.
• San Diego Public Utilities Department: Municipal water and wastewater utility serving the City of San Diego. Closest functional peer given the same municipal structure, water/sewer service mix, and rate-setting model, though at larger geographic scale.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP): Largest municipal water and power utility in the United States, serving Los Angeles. Comparable as a city-owned multi-utility provider delivering water, gas (historically), and electric services with a regulatory monopoly across a major Southern California market.
• Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas): Investor-owned natural gas distribution utility serving most of Southern California, including adjacent areas of Long Beach. Direct overlap with Long Beach Utilities' gas distribution franchise, but operating under a different regulatory model (CPUC vs. municipal).
• Orange County Sanitation District: Large regional wastewater collection and treatment agency serving northern and central Orange County. Comparable on the wastewater side of Long Beach Utilities' operations, with similar regulatory and treatment service profile.
• California Water Service (Cal Water): Investor-owned water utility serving multiple California districts including parts of the Los Angeles region. Comparable as a regulated water utility delivering potable service under a different (CPUC) governance model than Long Beach's municipal structure.

Regional players

• Inland Empire Utilities Agency: Regional water and wastewater wholesale/retail agency in San Bernardino County. Comparable as a municipal/special-district water utility with recycled water and wastewater functions serving a defined California service area.
• Central Basin Municipal Water District: Wholesale water agency serving southeast Los Angeles County, including portions of Long Beach. Comparable as a wholesale/municipal water counterpart that interfaces with Long Beach Utilities on imported water supply.

Others

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Wholesale water supplier that provides imported water to Long Beach and other Southern California agencies. Comparable as an upstream water-supply counterparty and infrastructure operator in the same regional water system.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LongBeachWater
• Facebookfacebook.com/lbwater
• Instagraminstagram.com/LBUtilities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/long-beach-water-department

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Long Beach Water Department