Proposed Sacramento Water District Merger Would Serve More Than 300,000 Customers

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A proposed water merger between two Sacramento area water districts would give more options to both during a drought, a spokeswoman said on Friday.

The merger between the Sacramento Suburban Water District and the San Juan Water District would create a district that serves more than 300,000 customers.

The general managers of both water districts are pushing for the merger.

"This is two willing agencies trying to do the best for their customers and to provide the most reliable water supply," said San Juan general manager Shauna Lorance.

She says the merger would mean more options, since the districts rely on different water sources. San Juan pulls from Folsom Lake while the Sacramento district pulls from groundwater.

"There are a lot of unknowns related to surface water, unknowns related to groundwater, and this would provide more tools in the tool box for a future board to deal with them," she said.

Not everyone is on board. Other water districts are concerned that if the merger goes through, there would be political pressure for them to join, something Lorance insists won't happen. She says it will also not result in higher water rates.

Some customers like Christina Foley say they like how the districts are thinking ahead.

"Any previous planning is I think a good thing," she said. "You don't want to be right up on it and have no options, no resources, nothing to kind of fall back on."

The boards of both water districts still need to vote on whether they want to move forward with this plan. That vote will likely take place in June. If that vote passes, the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission would still need to sign off.

The earliest a merger could take place would be in late 2016.