As you turn on the tap in your home or business, all the water you see started as snowmelt in the Sierra Mountains. The water is purchased from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and brought to your area through 440 miles of the California Aqueduct. All LVMWD’s water must be imported, as there are no local water supplies to draw from in our 122-square mile service area.  

Relying solely on imported water, the conditions of the snowpack and reservoir levels are important to the total allocation of our water. Our complex water supply planning accounts for these factors and constantly gauges water supply conditions for our customers. 

Each year, LVMWD sets aside a portion of the water purchased from MWD as a reserve and stores it in our Las Virgenes Reservoir. Holding enough water to serve district customers for about six months, the reservoir provides water "insurance" for times of emergency. 

While the Reservoir serves as insurance, importing water may not always be reliable, especially in times of emergency. LVMWD is committed to exploring new technologies to expand water supply and innovate local, drought-proof sources of water – not only for our own District but for the good of California. To tackle this, we are emerging with new initiatives to transform California’s water sector including the Pure Water Project, as well as a partnership with OceanWell.  

The Pure Water Project, operated by the Las Virgenes-Triunfo JPA, provides customers with a resilient source of water by using advanced water purification techniques to produce high-quality water. This project will supply about 30% of the District's water, leading the way in reducing community reliance on imported water. 

Our partnership with OceanWell is another innovative approach, utilizing advanced desalination technologies for energy-efficient, reliable drinking water. Read more about this initiative here.  

LVMWD’s mission is to provide safe, high-quality water reliably to our service area. Our expert field technicians, operators, and lab staff all work together to treat, filter, and disinfect your water. The water delivered to your homes and businesses is routinely sampled and tested, either at MWD's Joseph Jensen Treatment Plant or LVMWD's Westlake Filtration Plant.  These sample results are listed in our Water Quality Report, alongside other information regarding your drinking water.