Click here to see a short video about BAWSCA’s, the results it has achieved for its member agencies and their water customers over the past 15-years, and its ongoing efforts to ensure the region’s reliable supply of high-quality water at a fair price.
The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) was created on May 27, 2003 to represent the interests of 24 cities and water districts, and two private utilities, in Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties that purchase water on a wholesale basis from the San Francisco Regional Water System (SF RWS).
BAWSCA was enabled by AB 2058 (Authors: Assembly members Louis Papan, John Dutra and Joe Simitian). The Legislature’s overwhelming support for the bill demonstrated the state’s recognition of the need for local government to protect the health, safety and economic well-being of 1.8 million people, and over 40,000 businesses and community organizations in the three counties.
BAWSCA is the only entity having the authority to directly represent the needs of the cities, water districts and private utilities (wholesale customers) that depend on the regional water system. BAWSCA provides the ability for the customers of the regional system to work with San Francisco on an equal basis to ensure the water system gets fixed, and to collectively and efficiently meet local responsibilities. BAWSCA is also the only entity having the authority to perform regional water supply reliability planning for its member agencies.
BAWSCA’s goals are to ensure:
BAWSCA has the authority to coordinate water conservation, supply and recycling activities for its agencies; acquire water and make it available to other agencies on a wholesale basis; finance projects, including improvements to the regional water system; and build facilities jointly with other local public agencies or on its own to carry out the agency’s purposes.
BAWSCA is governed by a 26-member Board of Directors comprised of respected community leaders representing the 24 cities and water districts that are member agencies of BAWSCA, and two private utilities that also have appointees to the board, Stanford University and California Water Service Company.
BAWSCA’s member agencies jointly face four significant challenges over the next 10 to 20 years:
BAWSCA is aggressively monitoring the progress of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s $4.765 billion Water System Improvement Program. A description of the facilities of the SF RWS can be found in Hetch Hetchy System. To learn about the history of water issues in the Bay Area, see history and milestones.
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