Cal Water to replace 38,000ft of main as fixed charges rise in Palos Verdes
City of Rancho Palo Verdes, California · Meeting date: November 4, 2026 · Published: November 6, 2026
California Water Service outlined its CPUC-approved 2024 Infrastructure Improvement Plan for the Rancho Dominguez District's Palos Verdes service area. The programme includes main renewals, pumping-station reconstruction, security work and advanced metering, while the regulator's rate design shifted more costs into monthly meter charges.
Key points
- The Council unanimously received and filed Cal Water's report on its 2024 Infrastructure Improvement Plan for the Palos Verdes service area.
- The approved plan includes replacement of more than 38,000ft of water main identified by engineers as high-risk, plus reconstruction of a critical pumping station.
- Cal Water plans to extend advanced metering infrastructure across the system after installing smart meters in the landslide area.
- The CPUC adopted a rate structure that increased fixed meter charges while leaving volumetric tiers relatively unchanged, rather than Cal Water's proposed low-use water equity design.
Full report
California Water Service will replace more than 38,000ft of high-risk pipeline and deploy advanced metering infrastructure across its Palos Verdes system under a 2024 capital plan received by Rancho Palos Verdes City Council on 4 November.
The California Public Utilities Commission adopted the Rancho Dominguez District infrastructure plan in April 2026, following Cal Water's July 2024 filing. The plan covers the Palos Verdes service area, which serves more than 65,000 people through just over 24,000 connections across the four Peninsula cities, parts of Lomita and San Pedro, and unincorporated areas.
Cal Water said the principal works are intended to improve reliability, safety and water supply. Alongside the 38,000ft of main replacements, the approved programme includes physical-security upgrades, reconstruction of a critical pumping station and wider deployment of smart meters. The utility has already installed and activated advanced meters in the landslide area, apart from customers who opted out, and said the devices can help customers identify unusual consumption and leaks through a connected application.
The company operates 341 miles of main, more than 30m gallons of storage and more than 2,500 fire hydrants in the Palos Verdes system. All water supplied locally is purchased from Metropolitan Water District. Cal Water said it conducted more than 9,000 water-quality tests in 2025 and met all primary and secondary federal and state standards.
The presentation also focused on the rate outcome accompanying the investment plan. Cal Water said it had proposed a low-use water equity programme that would shift more costs to higher consumption tiers. The CPUC instead adopted a different design, increasing fixed meter charges while keeping consumption-tier prices relatively flat.
For non-residential customers, water use is charged at a flat volumetric rate rather than through residential-style tiers, alongside meter charges that rise with meter size.
Cal Water said most of its spending per customer dollar goes to purchased water and capital improvements. It also highlighted conservation programmes that it said saved 11.6m gallons in Palos Verdes during 2025.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council Meeting - Nov 04, 2026, City of Rancho Palo Verdes