Service and Infrastructure

Serving the San Bernardino Community

The San Bernardino Municipal Water Department provides water, wastewater and sewer collections services to the City of San Bernardino and surrounding communities. The SBMWD water service area is approximately 45 square miles, providing water to a population of over  200,000 persons.

Water Distribution System

The first water distribution system in San Bernardino provided water supplies for approximately six thousand citizens within a one square mile service area. In contrast, the water supply distribution network now encompasses over 45,000 service connections including over 700 miles of water mains.

One of the greatest challenges facing water utilities across the nation is the ongoing replacement of water distribution system components. SBMWD addresses this issue with a Water System Master Plan which prioritizes the water lines which need replacement and identifies areas of the City which need additional wells, reservoirs and boosting capacity.

Advanced Monitoring Technology

Our water distribution system is monitored by an advanced network of sensors and computers called a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) This system reports provides real time data on critical water quality factors, such as water pressure, chlorine content, and on the system's integrity.

Systems that Promote Safety

Due to the decentralized nature of our distribution infrastructure, our water system is highly resilient. Instead of using a few large reservoirs, the Water Department uses many smaller ones. This reduces the overall potential impact that natural or man-made disasters can have on the water system as SBMWD can quickly isolate problems and take water from other parts of the system to replace components taken offline. The staff that monitor this system are certified to meet State of California requirements.

The different levels of certification maintained by our employees are awarded based on college-level course work, work experience, and state-administered tests.