What Foothill Municipal Water District does

Foothill Municipal Water District (FMWD) is a California special district incorporated on January 7, 1952, that operates as a wholesale water supplier in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills of Los Angeles County. The district takes delivery of imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) at a connection near the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and pumps it through a transmission network into a 22-square-mile service area covering Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and La Crescenta-Montrose. Its core delivered asset is a fixed infrastructure backbone comprising a 39-inch Arroyo Seco transmission main, two pump stations (a Main Pump Station with combined 33.1 MGD capacity across East and West banks, and a 9.8 MGD Berkshire Pump Station), approximately 10 miles of 24-to-39-inch transmission mains, and six storage tanks totaling 6.8 million gallons across three pressure zones. The district supplies approximately 50% of regional demand, up from roughly 20% in its early decades, with the remainder met by member agencies' own groundwater from the Verdugo and Raymond basins.

FMWD's business model is wholesale water delivery to eight fixed member agencies — Crescenta Valley Water District, Kinneloa Irrigation District, La Cañada Irrigation District, Las Flores Water Company, Liberty Utilities, Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Rubio Cañon Land & Water Association, and Valley Water Company — that collectively serve approximately 80,000 end-use residential and commercial customers. Revenue is generated through water sales (reselling MWD-purchased imported water), infrastructure charges, and member assessments; rates and charges are publicly disclosed for calendar years 2016–2024. The district is governed by a five-member elected Board of Directors that oversees a roughly ten-person staff led by long-tenured General Manager Nina Jazmadarian (in role since 2007). Beyond wholesale transmission, FMWD administers conservation rebate programs (landscape design, spray-to-drip conversion, tree planting), landscape transformation classes co-sponsored with partners such as Green Gardens Group, and the dedicated foothill.watersavingplants.com informational site launched in August 2023.

The entity is a public agency rather than a privately held company; it has no equity holders, venture capital, or parent corporation, and ownership/residential voting rights are diffused across registered voters within district boundaries. Recent strategic activity has centered on resilience and compliance rather than market expansion: a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan was funded through a June 2024 grant, the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and Water Shortage Contingency Plan were submitted in June 2026, and a 2025 Ad Hoc Committee is evaluating consolidation with Las Flores Water Company. These activities suggest an operating posture focused on infrastructure reliability and regulatory modernization within a fixed service territory.

Name

Foothill Municipal Water District

Legal name

Foothill Municipal Water District

Website

https://fmwd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Foothill Municipal Water District is a California special district that wholesale-delivers imported water from Metropolitan Water District to eight member agencies serving approximately 80,000 residents across foothill Los Angeles County communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Water Supply

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Utilities (221)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Pump, Well & Booster System Service for Irrigation (HSAIAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Irrigation Systems Installation & Maintenance (IMAIAIAC)

Keywords

• Wholesale water supply
• Water utility services
• Municipal water district
• Water conservation programs
• Water transmission infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

La Canada Flintridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Water Sales: FMWD purchases imported water from Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and resells it to its eight member agencies. The district supplies approximately 50% of the region's annual water demand, with the remaining 50% met through local supplies including groundwater from Verdugo and Raymond basins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Foothill Municipal Water District is a wholesale water supplier that purchases imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and conveys it through transmission mains, pump stations, and storage tanks to eight member retail water agencies across approximately 22 square miles in the foothill communities of Altadena, La Cañada Flintridge, and La Crescenta-Montrose, serving roughly 80,000 residents. The district also administers water efficiency, conservation rebate, and landscape transformation programs in partnership with its member agencies.

Product overview

Foothill Municipal Water District operates primarily as a wholesale water utility with two main digital products: the main fmwd.com website providing comprehensive water services, governance information, and community resources; and the dedicated foothill.watersavingplants.com landscaping website for water conservation education. The district offers conservation rebate programs (landscape design, spray-to-drip conversion, water efficiency audits), landscape transformation classes, and water conservation programs as supporting service modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplies approximately 50% of region's annual water demand, up from 20% in early operations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1953FMWD is one of 26 member agencies of MWD. FMWD joined MWD in 1953 and takes delivery of imported water through MWD's Colorado River Aqueduct and State Water Project connection near the Rose Bowl. Director Richard Atwater represents FMWD on the MWD Board of Directors.
• Black & VeatchminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBlack & Veatch is contracted to support the development of the Multi-Jurisdictional Local Hazard Mitigation Plan for FMWD and its member agencies.
• Metropolitan Water District Regional Conservation Rebate ProgramcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFMWD participates in MWD's Regional Conservation Rebate Program (socalwatersmart.com) offering rebates for water-efficient devices including turf replacement, spray-to-drip conversion, and landscape design.
• Green Gardens GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization providing free online landscape transformation classes and in-person garden design classes for FMWD customers.
• Landscape Integrity Films and Education (LIFE)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFMWD co-sponsors LIFE video tutorials showcasing native gardening and appropriate landscaping practices that reduce water and energy consumption.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Central Basin Municipal Water District: MWD member agency wholesaling imported water to retail agencies in southeast Los Angeles County. Comparable wholesale-only business model, member-agency distribution channel, and conservation rebate portfolio.
• Three Valleys Municipal Water District: MWD member agency that wholesales imported water to retail agencies in the eastern San Gabriel Valley. Operates with similar wholesale-only model, conservation programming, and infrastructure-based service delivery to FMWD.
• Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District: Adjacent Southern California municipal water district that similarly wholesales imported MWD water to retail member agencies within a defined service area. Operates with comparable statutory authority, conservation/rebate programs, and small specialized staff.
• West Basin Municipal Water District: MWD member agency that wholesales imported water and provides water recycling to retail agencies in the coastal Los Angeles area. Operates with comparable statutory framework, conservation programs, and small specialized staff.
• Calleguas Municipal Water District: MWD member agency wholesaling imported water to retail agencies in eastern Ventura County. Comparable wholesale-only model, member-agency distribution, conservation programming, and infrastructure-heavy operations.
• Las Virgenes Municipal Water District: MWD member agency providing wholesale and retail water services in western Los Angeles County. Comparable California special district structure, conservation/rebate programming, and reliance on imported MWD supply.
• San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District: MWD member agency serving the San Gabriel Valley with wholesale imported water and groundwater management. Directly comparable mission, service territory adjacency, and member-agency distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California: Regional wholesale water supplier and parent of FMWD's water supply chain. Provides imported water from the Colorado River and State Water Project that FMWD then resells. Overlapping wholesale water mission at much larger scale.
• Inland Empire Utilities Agency: Multi-purpose wholesale water agency providing imported supply, recycling, and groundwater management in the Inland Empire. Operates a similar wholesale-agency model with conservation programs at larger geographic scale.
• Municipal Water District of Orange County: MWD member agency that wholesales imported water to retail agencies across Orange County. Comparable wholesale-only mission, conservation rebate programming, and member-agency distribution model in Southern California.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foothill-municipal-water-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Foothill Municipal Water District