Water Division

Ripples on Lake Oroville as the sunrise reflects in the water
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is responsible for ensuring that California’s investor-owned water utilities deliver clean, safe, and reliable water to their customers at reasonable rates. Water Division regulates over a 100 investor-owned water and sewer utilities under the CPUC’s jurisdiction providing water service to about 16 percent of California’s residents. Approximately 95 percent of that total is served by 9 large water utilities each serving more than 10,000 connections. Annual water and wastewater revenues under the CPUC’s regulation total $1.4 billion.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) - Water Division (WD) investigates water and sewer system service quality issues, analyzes, and processes utility rate change requests. The CPUC works directly with utility management to track and certify compliance with CPUC requirements.

WD provides advisory services of regulated utilities and water public programs, and monitors compliance with laws and CPUC directives. WD performs research, analysis, and assessments and communicates the results to the CPUC and its staff, the regulated utilities, and the public.

Consumer Information

Balancing Accounts by Water Utility Company

Balancing Accounts - Class A and B Water Utility Companies

Water Rates and General Rate Case Proceedings

Fact sheets summarizing the rate changes from Class A Water and Sewer Utilities general rate case proceedings.

Decisions and Resolutions applied to all investor-owned water utilities

Decisions and resolutions that give all investor-owned water utilities authority to change rates for reasons external to the general rate-case process.

Advice Letter Information

Information about what advice letters are, a general order that contains rules and more information, and a way to find individual advice letters.

Resolutions

Link to Resolution Search Engine

Available Documents

Please use the link below to access information regarding Advice Letters. Learn More

Annual Reports

All public utilities doing business in California are required to file reports as specified by the Commission of the utilities' operations.

Consumer Confidence Reports

It is required by law that all Public Water Systems prepare and distribute to its customers by July 1st of every year a Consumer Confidence Report.

Customer Assistance Programs

The Low-Income Oversight Board (LIOB) advises the Commission on low-income electric, gas, and water customer issues and serves as a liaison for the Commission to low-income ratepayers and representatives.

Drought and Conservation Information

California is experiencing climate shifts that bring more extreme weather, resulting in a massive swing of our driest three years on record moving into some of the wettest precipitation patterns in recent history. Despite these swings, we must come together to continue to make conservation a California way of life.The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is actively responding to current hydrologic conditions and working through this current year.

Additional Information Regarding the Drought

 

Information on Acquisitions Rulemaking (R.22-04-003)

R2204003 Workshop 4, December 5, 2023 Recording

R2204003 Workshop 3, June 13, 2023 Recording

R2204003 Workshop 2, March 9, 2023 Recording

R2204003 Workshop 1, November 29, 2022 Recording

Water Division

Other Links

Locate Documents

CPUC General Orders