Independent Special Districts – Like Mesa Water – Offer Tailored Specialized Services to Meet Local Needs

Posted: Tuesday, January 3, 2023

Did you know that Mesa Water is an independent special district, providing one single focused service? Our charge is to serve water to businesses and 110,000 residents in Costa Mesa, a portion of Newport Beach, and some unincorporated areas of Orange County, including John Wayne Airport. Special districts are unique and beneficial to the customers they serve for a variety of reasons. Special districts: 

  • Have a publicly-elected Board of Directors who serve the neighborhoods in which they live and are directly representative of and accountable to their constituents.
  • Are created, funded and overseen by a community’s residents when there is a public service, such as water delivery, that residents want and is not provided by a city or county.
  • Implement projects and services that are influenced by local residents – ensuring the District meets the direct demands and needs of the community.
  • Are the most responsive form of government – as highly specialized agencies, they can be nimble, innovative, efficient and transparent in how they provide services and how they invest ratepayers’ precious dollars. 
  • Address challenging statewide issues at the local level, and support our economy and infrastructure.
     

Mesa Water is proud to deliver an abundance of local, reliable, clean, safe water to our community. One of our most significant accomplishments as a special district is being able to provide our customers with 100% local water. Mesa Water is the only water district in Orange County to fulfill water demand entirely from local groundwater supplies and is not dependent on more expensive imported water. Our local water supply is not only a drought-resilient source, but helps protect residents from rate volatility. Local control and local representation enable Mesa Water to be visionary and innovative, and to take bold action that results in long-term benefits for our customers.

Learn more about Special Districts at csda.net/home.