Member Spotlight: Atascadero Mutual Water Company

Atascadero Mutual Water Company (AMWC) is now in its 109^th year of operation.  Atascadero’s founder, E.G. Lewis, established the first business in Atascadero when he filed the articles of incorporation for AMWC on August 13, 1913.  Since then, AMWC has been providing its shareholders with a continuous, safe, and reliable supply of water at a reasonable cost, while providing the highest level of customer service.

Our good fortune is to have water sources that are reliable, and production, treatment, and distribution systems that are sound.  Our job is to leave a legacy that demonstrates our dedication to reliability, expresses our high regard for our shareholders, and demonstrates diligent stewardship of what has been entrusted to us.

AMWC has 21 employees and 5 Board members dedicated to providing exceptional customer service to its shareholders.  Collectively, they have over 300 years of experience managing, operating, and maintaining your water system.  They are the foundation of AMWC.  They create a work culture that values excellence and embodies a service ethic that permeates the entire organization.  AWMC continues to develop staff with high levels of technical expertise, ready to handle increasingly complex work, new regulations, budget pressures, and high customer expectations. Our talented and dedicated staff have made possible the success and progress we have achieved and will continue to achieve in the future.  Our commitment to maintaining and developing a highly-skilled workforce will help to ensure a successful future for AMWC, for our employees, and for the shareholders we serve.

AMWC will continue its practice of prudent infrastructure investment and will wisely manage the shareholders’ investment to keep our services affordable.  We will continue to search for new materials, methods, and techniques that offer the most dependable service and cost savings.  We will continue to leverage the use of technology, such as geographic information systems (GIS), customer information systems (CIS), and computer maintenance management systems (CMMS), to effectively and efficiently manage the large and complex water system entrusted to us.  We will continue to protect our watershed lands, promote water conservation, and teach the children in our community to do the same.  We will continue to do our best to earn the trust and satisfaction of our shareholders while providing a continuous, safe, and reliable supply of water at a reasonable cost, while providing the highest level of customer service.

Reliability is a key driver of our thinking about the future.  AMWC is looking at water supply and demand options for the next 25 years and beyond.  Our participation in the Nacimiento Water Project (NWP) gives us access to 1.05 billion gallons of supplemental water each year.  This water represents over half of our typical annual water production of 1.7 billion gallons.

Land use trends, new regulations, emerging issues, and other factors are all considered in AMWC’s water supply planning.  With an eye to the future, AMWC is one of the participating parties in the Atascadero Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA).  The GSA is a collaborative of basin stakeholders and recently completed a groundwater sustainability plan for the basin.  Whatever the future brings, our commitment is clear; ensure a sufficient and healthy water supply for the next generation.