Desert Water Agency

What Desert Water Agency does

Desert Water Agency (DWA) is a California special district and public water utility established in 1961 under the California Water Code to manage groundwater resources and deliver water service in the western Coachella Valley. The agency operates a regional pipeline infrastructure that supplies residential, commercial, industrial, and developer customers across the Indio, Mission Creek, and San Gorgonio Pass subbasins, and holds statutory responsibility for Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) compliance within its service territory. Beyond direct water delivery, DWA administers conservation programs (rebates, free conservation kits, turf-replacement incentives), water quality monitoring (including Chromium-6 and PFAS), emergency preparedness, and renewable energy initiatives. Its digital presence is built on the Streamline platform for special districts, with a customer-facing portal (myDWA) enabling account management, bill payment, and service start/stop requests.

The agency's core technology stack consists of Tyler Enterprise ERP for financial management, payroll, and utility billing; ESRI ArcGIS Enterprise for GIS-based water distribution network mapping; Microsoft 365 for productivity; and iSeries for inventory management. The May 2026 website relaunch modernized the customer-facing layer with improved ADA accessibility and mobile optimization. There is no AI/ML capability, public API, or proprietary software product; DWA's offerings are operational water services, not technology products.

DWA is a not-for-profit government entity with no private shareholders, venture funding, or M&A activity. Revenue is generated exclusively through recurring water utility service fees (consumption charges, fixed service fees, and connection charges) collected from a fragmented customer base under a regulated rate structure. It is governed by an elected Board of Directors and led by General Manager Esther Saenz. Operations are confined to a single regional franchise, and growth is driven by organic customer additions within the statutory service area rather than geographic expansion.

Name

Desert Water Agency

Legal name

Desert Water Agency

Website

https://dwa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Desert Water Agency is a California special district founded in 1961 that provides water utility service and groundwater management under SGMA to residential, commercial, and developer customers in the western Coachella Valley, generating revenue through regulated recurring water service fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG), Raw Water Conveyance & Transmission (Aqueducts, Mains, Pumping Stations) (EUANAAAB)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Groundwater management
• Water conservation programs
• Recycled water supply
• Water quality monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Utility Service Fees: Revenue from providing water service to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the western Coachella Valley. Includes service connection fees, consumption charges, and fixed service fees.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Desert Water Agency is a public water utility and groundwater management agency that supplies potable water to residential, commercial, industrial, and developer/builder customers across the western Coachella Valley. Its core offering combines piped water delivery with groundwater management under California's SGMA, water conservation programs (rebates, free kits, education), water quality monitoring for contaminants such as Chromium-6 and PFAS, recycled water services, and new-development water connection services.

Product overview

Desert Water Agency (DWA) is a public groundwater management agency and water utility serving the western Coachella Valley in California, founded in 1961. DWA does not offer a software product platform; rather, it provides essential water utility services including water supply, delivery, and conservation programs to residential and commercial customers. Its digital presence consists of a customer-facing website built on the Streamline platform for special districts, enabling functions such as account management (myDWA), online bill payment, service start/stop requests, water quality reporting, conservation rebates, and development services. DWA's core offerings are water provision and management services, not technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Potable Water Supply Service Direct delivery of potable water through the agency's pipeline network to residential, commercial, and industrial customers within the western Coachella Valley service territory; includes service connection, consumption charges, and fixed service fees.
• Water Conservation Programs (Rebates, Free Kits, Workshops) Conservation services offering free conservation kits, residential rebates, HOA & business rebates, watering guides, leak check tools, water walkthroughs, workshops/webinars, and coupons to reduce water use across the service area.
• Development Water Services Water service connection, temporary construction meters, developer rates and charges, submittal process, and standard drawings and approved materials for property developers and builders performing new construction within the service area.
• Water Quality Monitoring and Reporting Ongoing testing and public reporting for Chromium-6, PFAS, and lead-free distribution compliance, plus a published annual water quality report for customers in the western Coachella Valley.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• San Diego County Water Authority: A wholesale water authority supplying imported water to 24 member agencies across San Diego County. Comparable to DWA as a California public agency administering imported water supply, large-scale water planning, and member agency rate structures.
• Eastern Municipal Water District: A California special district providing water, wastewater, and recycled water services in Riverside County, adjacent to DWA's service area. EMWD shares the same legal structure, SGMA exposure, and desert/Southwest Riverside County operating context as DWA.
• Western Municipal Water District: A Riverside County special district providing water and wastewater services to western Riverside County communities. It is comparable as a California special district water utility operating under similar SGMA, imported water, and rate-regulation frameworks as DWA.

Direct peers

• California Water Service Group: The largest investor-owned water utility in California, providing regulated water service to residential and commercial customers across the state. It is directly comparable in core function (potable water delivery and utility billing) and faces the same SGMA, Chromium-6, and PFAS regulatory environment as DWA.
• Coachella Valley Water District: The neighboring water district serving the eastern Coachella Valley under California Water Code. It shares DWA's groundwater management mandate, SGMA subbasin responsibilities, and customer base (residential, commercial, agricultural), and the two agencies regularly coordinate on regional water planning.

Broad incumbents

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: The regional wholesale water provider serving 26 member agencies across Southern California, including DWA's imported water access via the State Water Project. Comparable as the upstream imported-water counterparty and as a fellow SGMA-exposed public water agency.
• California American Water: A subsidiary of American Water Works Company providing regulated water and wastewater service across California. It is comparable as a regulated California water utility but operates at much broader scale and under private ownership, contrasting with DWA's public-agency model.
• American Water Works Company: The largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility in the United States, serving over 14 million people. Comparable in core regulated water-utility economics and SGMA-style regulatory exposure, though at vastly greater scale than DWA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubedesertwater.specialdistrict.org/check-out-the-dwa-video-channel
• Facebookfacebook.com/dwawater
• Instagraminstagram.com/desertwateragency
• Xx.com/DWAwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/desertwateragency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Desert Water Agency