Altadena Mutual Water Company Breaks Ground on Major Reservoir Reconstruction Project Following Eaton Fire
ALTADENA, Calif./June 24, 2026 — Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association celebrated the groundbreaking of a major reservoir reconstruction project that will restore and strengthen critical water infrastructure damaged during the 2025 Eaton Fire, marking a significant milestone in Altadena’s continuing recovery. The ceremony at the Maiden Lane Reservoir brought together community leaders, shareholders, water industry representatives, and local officials to launch a project that will invest more than $2 million in insurance proceeds to rebuild the damaged reservoir, along with nearly $1 million in additional capital improvements to strengthen pipelines, valves, and related infrastructure throughout the system. Association leaders also used the event to recognize the extraordinary efforts of Rubio’s water operators and mutual aid personnel who worked tirelessly during and after the Eaton Fire to maintain water service, protect critical infrastructure, and help restore the community. “The groundbreaking of this reservoir is a symbol of Altadena’s resilience and determination to recover from the Eaton Fire,” said Dr. Janet Fahey, President of the Board of Directors of Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association. “Our community has shown remarkable strength over the past year and a half, and today marks an important step toward building back stronger, more reliable, and more fire-resilient water infrastructure for generations to come. We are deeply grateful to our operators, employees, and shareholders whose commitment made this milestone possible.” The project is being funded largely through insurance proceeds secured through the Joint Powers Risk and Insurance Management Authority (JPRIMA), the insurance and risk-management program of the California Association of Mutual Water Companies (CalMutuals). Rubio Cañon was among the founding mutual water companies that helped establish the program after traditional pooled insurance options for mutual water companies became unavailable. “CalMutuals is proud that JPRIMA is helping fund this vital reconstruction effort,” said Adán Ortega, Executive Director…
Recent News
Save the Date! CalMutuals & CalMutuals JPRIMA 2026 Annual Meeting in Palm Springs – Nov. 2-3
Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort in Indian Wells, CA, is the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of CalMutuals JPRIMA and focus on the tools, strategies, and partnerships that help protect California’s small water systems. Registration is FREE for CalMutuals, CalMutuals…
Good News/Bad News – PPIC’s New Environment Survey
PPIC’s new environment survey is good news and bad news for California water supply issues. Good news: → 73% of likely voters back November’s CEQA streamlining measure — which covers water projects. Storage, conveyance, recycling, and desal routinely lose years to environmental review. That barrier just got smaller. → 85%…
The Penny Paradox, Part II: When Pennies Add Up — Water Is Cheap by Design, But Only for the Uses That Matter
In my previous article, I argued that a penny a gallon makes tap water the most undervalued product in the American economy. Here is the corollary: that penny is a bargain precisely — and only — for the uses water policy intends to protect for public health and safety. The…
Why the One Penny Paradox in Water Risks Our Infrastructure Future
The mechanics of water delivery in Southern California are massive in scale but remarkably fractional in cost. MWD operates as a master wholesale water supplier, delivering imported water to our 26 member agencies. Those agencies, in turn, distribute it to over 300 municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, special districts and non-profit…
Updated CalMutuals AB54/AB240 Training Now Available
For nearly a decade, CalMutuals has proudly offered our online AB 54/AB 240 Ethics Training, providing a convenient way to meet California’s ethics training requirements. The training is designed to help directors understand the ethical and legal responsibilities of serving on a mutual water company board while utilizing transparency, accountability, and sound…
State Provides Update on TMF Standards and Timeline
The SWRCB released an updated timeline for developing California’s new Technical, Managerial, and Financial (TMF) standards for small drinking water systems. Required by SB 1188, the standards will apply to systems serving fewer than 10,000 connections and are intended to help ensure they have the technical expertise, governance, and financial…
Pasadena Now – Insurance Pays Off as Altadena Water Company Rebuilds Fire-Damaged Reservoir
Nearly 18 months after the Eaton Fire swept through this foothill community, one Altadena water company that kept its systems running during the blaze is putting shovels in the ground to rebuild what the flames took. Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association, a nonprofit mutual water company that has served…
Grant Update: Proposition 4 is Moving Here’s What Mutual Water Companies Need to Know
California voters approved Proposition 4 in November 2025, and, based on an April 30 DWR webinar, the money is now moving from bond language into real program design. The news for mutual water companies is encouraging. You’re an Eligible Applicant — With No Required Cost ShareProposition 4 programs administered by…
CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grants: Deadline July 8, 2026
CAL FIRE has opened a new solicitation for its Wildfire Prevention Grants Program, funded by Proposition 4, with up to $70 million available statewide for FY 2025-26. Water districts are eligible applicants, and grants are recommended at $950,000 or less. Eligible activities span three categories: The largest is hazardous fuels…
Victory in the Senate — But the Fight Isn’t Over
California’s mutual water companies scored an important legislative win on May 14 when the state Senate Appropriations Committee defeated Senate Bill 1291 (Gonzalez). The bill would have imposed costly new requirements on member systems that duplicated programs already being carried out by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). This…
Pizza doxxing and SB1417
Last Sunday, 60 Minutes revealed a chilling new tactic being used to intimidate federal judges: pizza doxxing. California through SB1417, is about to write that tactic into state law aimed at community volunteer water board members. Strangers order unsolicited pizzas to judges’ homes — addressed to Daniel Anderl, the son…
Wrong-Sizing California — The problem the State won’t admit.
by Adán Ortega Jr. “Same laws. Same regulations. Wildly different capacity to absorb them.” I’ve sat in boardrooms where billion-dollar budgets are debated about drinking water. I’ve also sat in cramped community meeting halls where a small water system operator explains — apologetically — why their rates went up again,…
Mutual Water Company Shareholder Group Urges Californians to Oppose “Dangerous” SB 1417
ALTADENA, Calif., May 14, 2026 — A coalition representing shareholders of California mutual water companies has launched a statewide grassroots campaign urging shareholders to oppose SB 1417 (Pérez), legislation they describe as a dangerous threat to the privacy and security of residents who own shares in community water systems. This…
Pasadena Now – Mutual Water Company Trade Group Launches Shareholder Rights Website as State Oversight Bills Advance
The effort targets Altadena, where fire-ravaged water cooperatives face new legislation on transparency and notice requirements Published on Thursday, May 7, 2026 Sixteen months after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,400 structures and gutted the customer base of Altadena’s three mutual water companies, a statewide trade group has launched…
Small Water System Leaders Launch Website for Mutual Water Company Shareholders in Altadena and Fire and Disaster Zones
ALTADENA, Calif., May 7, 2026 — The California Association of Mutual Water Companies’ Disaster Information Task Force has launched a website, SmallWaterSystemWarriors.com, with resources for community residents who are shareholders in mutual water companies. Mutual water companies are community-owned, nonprofit water utility cooperatives that often serve some of the smallest,…
Disaster Information Taskforce – Welcome to Small Water Systems Warriors
DISASTER INFORMATION TASKFORCE Welcome to Small Water Systems Warriors You own a share of your water company — and that ownership comes with rights most people never know they have. Mutual water companies serve millions of Californians, yet shareholders are routinely left out of the conversations that shape their water…
CalMutuals: Top Challenges Facing Mutual Water Companies in 2026
Each year during membership renewal, CalMutuals invites members to share their challenges. This year’s feedback echoed many of the same issues mutual water companies have faced for years. For 2026, member concerns are largely centered in three areas: Aging infrastructure remains the top issue, with many systems needing to repair…
Help in Completing Your Required Technical, Managerial, and Financial Assessment
California SB 1188 (August 2023) requires the SWRCB to create minimum technical, managerial, and financial (TMF) standards for small water systems (under 10,000 service connections). Once adopted, systems will have two years to show they meet the standards. The Board will likely start with requirements already used for funding assessments —…
Grant Opportunities: WaterSMART Funding Opportunities Now Available – Small Scale Water Efficiency Grants, Applied Science & Drought Response Program
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) announced new WaterSMART funding opportunities to help small water systems improve efficiency, plan for drought, and strengthen operations. Available programs include: Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects Opportunity #: R25AS00279Funds practical projects like leak repairs, meter upgrades, and water conservation.Deadline: June 2, 2026 Applied Science Grants Opportunity #: R25AS00280Supports tools, data, and studies…
Legislative & Regulatory Update March 2026
CalMutuals continues to track legislation affecting small water systems and to advocate for the needs and priorities of its members. The bills currently under consideration by state legislators, along with CalMutuals’ positions on each, are outlined below. CalMutuals has a formal SUPPORT position on the following bills: SB1001 (Archuleta). Water utility workers: identification card program.SB…
Grant Opportunities: Connect to Resources Through Your Integrated Regional Water Management Plan
Funding is a challenge that all mutual water companies share. Even our most diligent efforts to identify and save for needed improvements and emerging compliance demands often fall short of the resources required. In previewing funding available to support small water systems in 2026, CalMutuals noted that funds will be allocated…