Continued privatization of water on the West Shore
By Kara Fox, Moonshine Ink
By 2025, all water systems in California must be metered. This requirement proved too much for Mid-Sierra Utilities, which owns and operates Tahoe Cedars and Madden Creek water companies in Homewood and Tahoma.
“I didn’t want to put in the meters, so I sold it,” said Robbie Marr, president of Mid-Sierra Utilities.
But instead of selling to the Tahoe City Public Utility District, which put in offers for the small water companies in 2013 and again earlier this year, Marr and his siblings decided to sell to San Dimas-based Golden State Water Company, which has 39 water systems across California. Marr said the sale has not been finalized and an application still needs to be submitted to the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates private water and sewer companies. Marr believes selling to Golden State is the best choice for his family, and for customers.
Although Golden State boasts 1 million customers and 500 employees throughout California, the TCPUD believes the right choice to be for it to take over Mid-Sierra Utilities water systems and is not backing down despite the impending sale. The public utility district has acquired 17 private water systems since it was founded in 1938. There are currently 10 private water companies along the West Shore.
