About the District

Our Mission
“To obtain and provide safe and reliable supplemental supply of high-quality water to our member agencies, including the communities, businesses and residents they serve, in an efficient, effective and economical manner. In accomplishing this mission, the District shall provide adequate information and education on water issues to the public, be instrumental in guarding the integrity, safety and security of the West Coast Basin and maintain close cooperation with other agencies serving our area.”

Serving the Public
West Basin Municipal Water District is a public agency that purchases imported water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California [MWD]. West Basin wholesales the imported water to cities, mutual water companies, investor-owned utilities and private companies in southwest Los Angeles County. (Imported water is transported through the expansive Colorado River Aqueduct system and from Northern California). To protect against seawater intrusion, West Basin provides barrier water for injection into the South Bay’s groundwater basin. West Basin also supplies the region with recycled water for municipal, commercial and industrial use.

Vote of the People
In the mid-1940s, the agencies charged with preserving underground water supplies and finding supplemental water recommended establishment of West Basin. This recommendation was approved by the voters, and in 1947, West Basin was formed. A year later, West Basin became a member agency of the MWD, an agency that provides the region with imported water. The five West Basin Directors appoint two representatives to the 37-member MWD Board of Directors. West Basin also provides the South Bay with recycled water for irrigation, commercial sites, barrier water and industrial processes. Today, West Basin is the sixth largest water district in the state of California, serving a population of more than 900,000.

Water Deliveries
West Basin’s service area uses 220,000 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.

Click to view the West Basin service area