San Antonio Water Company

What San Antonio Water Company does

San Antonio Water Company (SAWCo) is a private mutual water company formed in 1882 and headquartered at 139 N. Euclid Avenue, Upland, California. Under California State Code and its governing bylaws, the company provides water service exclusively to its shareholders, who must hold sufficient stock to cover their water usage within established entitlements. Stock is not tied to property ownership, separating shareholder status from real estate. The company holds water rights across four basins — Chino Basin, Cucamonga Basin, San Antonio Canyon Watershed, and Six Basins — serving shareholders in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties originally for irrigation, milling, and manufacturing, now primarily for residential and municipal use.

The company's core technology is an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system that delivers hourly consumption data over 24-hour periods, integrated with the Waterscope online monitoring platform for shareholder-facing usage tracking, leak detection, and automated alerts on continuous use or high-usage thresholds. The company also maintains a backflow/cross-connection control program authorized under the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and California Code of Regulation Title 17, and operates a Conservation Program currently set at the Moderate Shortage Stage per Board approval.

Revenue is generated primarily through a multi-tier water billing structure: a recurring Water Availability Charge of $8.38 per share per month, entitlement-based usage charges, supplemental and Tier 3 charges for usage above allocations, a Readiness to Serve Charge based on meter size, and a $4.25 online payment convenience fee. Billing is bi-monthly for domestic customers and monthly for municipal/miscellaneous customers. The company also manages water share transfers, lease arrangements, and sealed-bid stock auctions for dormant shareholders. As a mutual non-profit, it reinvests in infrastructure rather than distributing profits, with operational transparency maintained through published budgets, board meeting notices, and a Streamline-powered website.

Name

San Antonio Water Company

Legal name

San Antonio Water Company

Website

https://www.sawaterco.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Antonio Water Company is a 1882-founded mutual non-profit water utility in Upland, California, providing entitlement-based water service exclusively to its shareholders across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties under California State Code.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

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

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water & Wastewater Compliance (NPDES/Stormwater, Pretreatment, Drinking Water/SDWA) (EUAHABAB)

Keywords

• Mutual water utility
• Domestic water service
• Water share management
• Entitlement-based billing
• Conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Upland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Water Availability Charge (WAC): Monthly charge based on shares owned at $8.38 per share per month. Applied to both active and dormant shares. Recovers fixed expenditures supporting the 'availability' of water.
2. Entitlement Charge: Cost for water consumed within monthly or bi-monthly shareholding entitlement.
3. Supplemental Charge (Tier 2): Cost for water consumed over entitlement up to entitlement allowance.
4. Tier 3 Charge: All usage over 200% of entitlement at higher rate.
5. Readiness to Serve Charge: Based on meter size and is a portion of the costs to keep the system ready to provide water demand.
6. Online Payment Convenience Fees: Credit/debit card convenience charges for online bill payment at $4.25 per transaction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

San Antonio Water Company is a mutual non-profit water utility formed in 1882 that provides water service exclusively to its shareholders in Upland, California and surrounding Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. The company delivers water through wells, reservoirs, pipelines, and distribution systems using AMI metering technology and the Waterscope online monitoring platform. Water service requires ownership of company stock sufficient to cover usage within established entitlements, with bi-monthly domestic billing and monthly municipal billing cycles.

Product overview

San Antonio Water Company is a private mutual water entity formed in 1882, providing water service to shareholders in Upland, CA. The company operates as a single unified water utility offering domestic and municipal water service with entitlement-based billing, water stock/shares management, development services for new construction, backflow protection compliance, and conservation programs. Key products include bi-monthly domestic billing and monthly municipal billing services with tiered pricing, AMI meter technology with leak detection through Waterscope integration, water stock transfer and auction services, and regulatory compliance programs for backflow protection. The company integrates with Streamline for website management, Google Analytics for web analytics, and Municipal Online Payments for online bill payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Water Service Bi-monthly water service for residential shareholder customers with entitlement-based billing, Water Availability Charges, and Readiness to Serve Charges. Customers must hold sufficient company stock to cover usage within established entitlements.
• Municipal/Miscellaneous Water Service Monthly-cycle water service for municipal and miscellaneous customers with distinct entitlement, Supplemental Tier 2, Tier 3, and Readiness to Serve charges. Designed for municipal agencies and commercial users needing larger or non-residential deliveries.
• Water Shares/Stock Management Administration of private mutual water company stock, including transfers, leases between shareholders, and stock auctions for dormant shareholders with unpaid bills. Stock ownership—not property ownership—is the basis for receiving water service.
• Development Services Water service requests for new development including plot plan review, stock requirement determination (minimum half share per half-acre), Willingness to Serve letters, and hydrant meter installation.
• Backflow/Cross Connection Protection Cross-connection control program including annual testing of backflow protection devices, authorized to enforce compliance up to and including stopping water service for non-compliant water users.
• Meter Reading and Leak Detection AMI metering service providing hourly water consumption data, automated leak and high-usage alerts to both the company and shareholders, and online usage monitoring through the Waterscope platform.
• Water Stock Auctions Sealed bid auction process for water stock of dormant shareholders with unpaid bills, used as a debt recovery mechanism after standard collection efforts fail.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• California Water Service Group: Largest investor-owned water utility in California, providing regulated water service to residential, commercial, and municipal customers across the state. Direct comparable in core water utility delivery model, tiered rate design, and AMI investment program.
• Golden State Water Company: Subsidiary of American States Water Company providing water service to ~80 California communities. Closely comparable regulated water utility operating in similar Southern California jurisdictions with entitlement-style and tiered rate structures.
• San Gabriel Valley Water Company: Investor-owned water utility serving portions of the San Gabriel Valley with similar Southern California geography, customer mix, and infrastructure profile (wells, reservoirs, distribution mains).
• Suburban Water Systems: California-regulated water utility serving portions of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Highly comparable in service geography (overlaps San Antonio Water Company's counties) and small/medium utility operational scale.
• Liberty Utilities (Park Water): Investor-owned water utility serving parts of Southern California including the Inland Empire region. Comparable in regulated water delivery, customer mix, and operational scale to a mid-size mutual water company.
• Fontana Water Company: Mutual-style water utility serving the City of Fontana in San Bernardino County. Comparable in structure (investor/mutual water company), tiered pricing, AMI deployment, and Inland Empire service geography.

Regional players

• Cucamonga Valley Water District: Adjacent public water district serving the City of Rancho Cucamonga, directly bordering San Antonio Water Company's service area. Operates on similar water rights (Cucamonga Basin) with comparable Southern California customer base.
• Monte Vista Water District: Special district water agency serving Montclair and portions of the Chino Basin in San Bernardino County. Comparable in service area, water source portfolio (Chino Basin), and small-staff mutual/agency operating model.

Others

• Chino Basin Watermaster: Court-appointed administrator overseeing water rights in the Chino Basin, one of San Antonio Water Company's primary water sources. Relevant as the regulatory counterparty and rights-pricing mechanism for the company's entitlements.
• Three Valleys Municipal Water District: Wholesale water supplier serving retail agencies in the San Gabriel and eastern Los Angeles County valleys. Relevant as an upstream supplier/competitor for imported water rights and Six Basins allocations used by San Antonio Water Company.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-antonio-water-co.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 San Antonio Water Company