Cal Water acquires Kings Mountain Park Mutual Water Company

California Water Service (Cal Water) has finalized the acquisition of Kings Mountain Park Mutual Water Company’s (Kings Mountain) water system assets. Cal Water’s Bear Gulch District, which has provided water in recent years to Kings Mountain through a system interconnection, will now provide water utility services directly to Kings Mountain customers.

The Bear Gulch District already serves about 61,000 people through approximately 19,000 service connections in Portola Valley, Woodside, Atherton, and portions of Menlo Park, Redwood City, and San Mateo County. Because the Kings Mountain system is adjacent to two other portions of the Bear Gulch District, joining the systems together is expected to enhance water supply reliability and firefighting capabilities.

Cal Water plans to invest in Kings Mountain’s water infrastructure to help it remain safe and reliable for customers’ everyday needs and firefighters’ emergency needs. Combining with Cal Water’s Bear Gulch District is also expected to support the affordability of any future infrastructure improvements needed within the small Kings Mountain system. Additionally, because Kings Mountain board of volunteers maintained system operations and lacked dedicated professional operators, the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water has supported the transfer of the utility to Cal Water. The purchase was originally approved by the California Public Utilities Commission in late 2022.

“Acquiring systems like Kings Mountain not only alleviates pressure for small systems to maintain daily operations for their customers, but also helps keep water service for these customers safe, reliable, and affordable long-term,” said Marty Kropelnicki, Cal Water Chairman and CEO. “We thank the Kings Mountain team for its collaboration to ensure a smooth transition, and we look forward to providing the same high quality, service, and value to Kings Mountain residents that we are committed to providing our existing customers.”