ANDERSON-COTTONWOOD IRRIGATION DISTRICT

What ANDERSON-COTTONWOOD IRRIGATION DISTRICT does

Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District (ACID) is a public irrigation district organized under the California Water Code, delivering agricultural water to approximately 800 to 900 landowners across a 32,000-acre service area spanning Shasta and Tehama counties in Northern California. Founded in 1917, ACID operates as one of the oldest and fourth-largest of more than 100 Sacramento River Settlement Contractors, holding pre-1914 appropriative water rights with senior priority on the Sacramento River system. The district's customer base consists exclusively of agricultural landowners within its service area, with primary end-uses including hay production and livestock operations. As a fixed-boundary public agency, ACID functions as the monopoly surface-water supplier within its service area.

ACID's core infrastructure consists of a 35-mile Main Canal — 98% of which remains unlined — that conveys water from the Sacramento River through six inverted siphons and three flume sections, with portions of the system designated as points of historical interest. The district holds an annual entitlement of 125,000 acre-feet, comprising 121,000 acre-feet of base supply plus 4,000 acre-feet of Central Valley Project (CVP) allocation. The district has supplemented its surface water delivery with groundwater production wells to provide drought resilience, and operates a PVC pipe purchase program to support on-farm irrigation infrastructure improvements.

ACID is a special-purpose public agency funded primarily through assessments levied on agricultural landowners within its service boundary. The district operates with a lean staff of one to ten employees, including a General Manager (Daniel Ruiz), Finance Manager (Terri White), and Operations Manager (Ben Duncan), overseen by a five-member elected Board of Directors. As a public agency, ACID reinvests any surplus into infrastructure maintenance, capital replacement projects, and water supply reliability initiatives rather than distributing profits. The district coordinates with external agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, NRCS, and the Eastern Area Groundwater Sustainability Agency (EAGSA) on regulatory compliance, watershed restoration, and groundwater sustainability matters.

Name

ANDERSON-COTTONWOOD IRRIGATION DISTRICT

Legal name

Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District

Website

https://andersoncottonwoodirrigationdistrict.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District is a California public irrigation district serving about 800 agricultural landowners across 32,000 acres in Shasta and Tehama counties via a 35-mile canal system and senior Sacramento River water rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Irrigation Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation Operation, Maintenance & Repair (Pumps, Valves, Controllers) (AFACAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Irrigation Pipe, Tubing & Conveyance (PVC/HDPE Pipe, Layflat Hose, Manifolds) (AFABAHAF), Monitoring, Metering & Flow Measurement (Meters, Pressure/Flow Gauges, Telemetry) (AFAAACAK), Water-Smart Irrigation & Water Stewardship (Drip/Micro, Scheduling, Water Harvesting) (AFAGAMAD), Agricultural Irrigation Water Conveyance Pipelines (Long-Distance) (TLAGAHAD)

Keywords

• Agricultural water delivery
• Irrigation district services
• Surface water conveyance
• Canal water distribution
• Water rights management

Headquarters

HQ city

Anderson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Agricultural Water Delivery Services: Irrigation water delivery to agricultural customers within the district service area. Customers pay for water service to irrigate pasture for hay and livestock production. The district operates on a seasonal basis from April 1 through October 31 annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ANDERSON-COTTONWOOD IRRIGATION DISTRICT delivers surface water from the Sacramento River to agricultural landowners across roughly 32,000 acres in the Anderson-Cottonwood area via a 35-mile gravity-fed Main Canal built in 1917. The district also supplies supplemental groundwater from its own production wells during dry periods and operates a PVC pipe purchase program to help tail-end customers connect to district laterals. Its services are funded through annual per-acre assessments on approximately 800 landowners within the service boundary.

Product overview

Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District (ACID) operates as a single-service agricultural water utility rather than a multi-product technology platform. The district's core offering is the delivery of Sacramento River water rights through its 35-mile Main Canal distribution system to approximately 800 customers. Supporting services include groundwater production wells for drought resilience and a PVC pipe purchase program for customer infrastructure support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Surface Water Delivery Annual delivery of Sacramento River surface water via the 35-mile gravity-fed Main Canal to roughly 800 landowners across a 32,000-acre agricultural service area, with a 125,000 acre-feet annual entitlement backed by pre-1914 appropriative rights and a Sacramento River Settlement Contract.
• Groundwater Supplemental Supply Supplemental groundwater pumped from district-owned production wells and blended into the canal system during drought years to maintain delivery to agricultural customers when surface supplies are curtailed.
• PVC Pipe Purchase Program District-administered program enabling tail-end landowners to acquire PVC pipe to improve connections to district laterals and increase on-farm delivery reliability.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Bureau of ReclamationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACID is one of nine Sacramento River Settlement Contractors that divert water from the Sacramento River under an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. This contract was critical to the development and operation of the Central Valley Project. The relationship provides ACID access to 4,000 acre-feet of Central Valley Project Supply out of its total 125,000 acre-feet entitlement.
• Sacramento River Settlement Contractors (SRSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACID is one of more than 100 Sacramento River Settlement Contractors and is the fourth largest in terms of water supply. The SRSC works collaboratively across the watershed to enhance sustainability of resources for all users while maintaining water rights for members. ACID and other SRSCs fund numerous projects including watershed restoration and construction of fish passages.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NRCS may have funding available for ACID customers for system improvements. The district provides this resource information to customers at phone number 530-226-2577.
• Enterprise-Anderson Groundwater Sustainability Agency (EAGSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACID participates in EAGSA community meetings and workshops to help customers learn about local groundwater conditions and how they might affect private wells.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Yuba Water Agency: Northern California water agency providing irrigation water to agricultural customers in Yuba County, with hydroelectric and flood control operations. Comparable surface water delivery model and agricultural customer base.
• Sutter Extension Water District: Sacramento Valley irrigation district diverting Sacramento River water for agricultural use. Mirrors ACID's surface water delivery model, settlement contractor status, and seasonal delivery to farming customers.
• Merced Irrigation District: California irrigation district delivering surface water to agricultural customers in Merced County, with a hydroelectric component. Closely comparable canal-based delivery model and agricultural customer focus.
• Reclamation District 1000: Special district providing irrigation and drainage services to agricultural lands in the Sacramento Valley near Natomas. Comparable in size, governance, and customer base to ACID.
• Oakdale Irrigation District: California irrigation district serving agricultural users in Stanislaus County with a comparable canal-based surface water distribution model and similar seasonal delivery pattern.
• El Dorado Irrigation District: California special district providing water and irrigation services to agricultural and residential customers in El Dorado County. Comparable public-agency structure and water delivery model.
• Turlock Irrigation District: California irrigation district providing surface water to agricultural customers in Stanislaus County, with hydroelectric generation. Comparable model of surface water delivery and agricultural service.
• South San Joaquin Irrigation District: California irrigation district providing surface water for agricultural irrigation in San Joaquin County. Comparable business model with senior water rights, canal infrastructure, and farming customer base.
• Tehama Colusa Canal Authority: Joint powers authority representing Tehama-Colusa and other Sacramento Valley irrigation districts on water supply and contract management. Directly comparable as a Sacramento River Settlement Contractor serving agricultural customers in the same region.
• Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District: One of the largest Sacramento River Settlement Contractors, irrigating farmland in Glenn and Colusa counties with a comparable canal-based surface water delivery model. Same regulatory framework, customer type, and infrastructure profile as ACID.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anderson-cottonwood-irrigation-district

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 ANDERSON-COTTONWOOD IRRIGATION DISTRICT