About The District

Our Mission
"To exercise the powers given to the District under its establishing act, utilizing them to the benefit of parties within the District and beyond. To acquire, sell and conserve imported and other water that meets all required standards and to furnish it to our customers in a planned, timely and cost-effective manner that anticipates future needs. The District serves as the official representative for its public at the Metropolitan Water District. It also provides leadership, support, advice, and communication on water issues to the people and agencies within and without its boundaries, as appropriate."

Serving the Public
Central Basin Municipal Water District is a public agency that purchases imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). Central Basin wholesales the imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies in southeast Los Angeles County. (Imported water is transported through the expansive Colorado River Aqueduct system and from Northern California.) Central Basin also supplies water used for groundwater replenishment and provides the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial use.

There are 24 cities in Central Basin's service area.

Vote of the People
Central Basin was established in 1952 by a vote of the people to help mitigate the overpumping of underground water resources in southeast Los Angeles County. District founders realized they would have to curtail the use of relatively inexpensive yet diminishing local groundwater by providing the region with imported water. In 1954, Central Basin became a member agency of MWD, an agency which provides the region with imported water. The five Central Basin Directors appoint two representatives to the 37-member MWD Board of Directors; Central Basin is one of the largest member agencies of the MWD. Today, in addition to imported water and groundwater, Central Basin provides recycled water for irrigation, commercial applications and industrial processes.

Water Deliveries
Central Basin's service area uses approximately 315,000 acre-feet of water annually. An acre-foot of water is approximately 326,000 gallons, enough to meet the water needs of two average families in and around their homes for one year.