San Jose Water (SJW) is pleased to have reached a proposed resolution with the Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division (CPED) of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regarding the investigation into some of our past billing practices.

In 2017, a customer brought billing concerns to our attention. The issue involved the lack of proration of monthly service charges when they changed within a billing cycle. 

The CPUC issued an Order Instituting Investigation (OII) in September 2018.  The proposed resolution to the OII provides for the following:

• Refunds to customers

Anyone who has dropped by an open house or other SJW-sponsored event may have noticed an assortment of pipe parts that we keep on display to educate visitors. These are part of a collection belonging to Jim Wollbrinck, Manager of Security and Business Resiliency at SJW. His time in the Distribution System Maintenance Department allowed him to amass these historical appurtenances dating back to SJW’s founding in 1866.

Pointing to a cast iron water main with the year 1892 embossed onto it, Wollbrinck explains that some of these vintage pipes are actually still in use in various

San Jose Water is committed to infrastructure improvements that optimize the balance between levels of service, impact on rates, and risk. We use innovative solutions to manage assets and leverage cutting-edge technology to make effective decisions and meet or exceed all water treatment standards so that we deliver the best water possible to our customers, 24/7. Here's an overview of the projects in progress this year alone. 

Water Main Replacements

San Jose Water replaces 1% or approximately 24 miles of pipe per year. This is essential in order to maintain a good working piping

We are proud to serve over one million customers with high quality, life-sustaining water along with exceptional customer service. On top of that, we are always committed to supplying water that meets or surpasses all state and federal drinking standards. But what steps do we take to ensure that our water is safe, and how do we determine overall water quality? We take three main factors into account.

Hardness
Most of our water contains two harmless minerals: calcium and magnesium. These minerals are formed when water comes into contact with limestone, which contains calcium and

SJW understands your concerns about recent rate increases and changes to your water bill*. Therefore, we’ve created a sample bill comparison that identifies the changes to your bill in 2019. 

We fully encourage and applaud our customers’ efforts to reduce their water consumption, as this will always be a vital step in combating drought in this region. However, water conservation is unrelated to the funding required to replace, repair and maintain the infrastructure that delivers reliable, clean, high quality water to your home.

*Your bill represents two months of water service (see

Update: October 2020

SJW has moved to biofuels in place of diesel fuel for all of our trucks and construction equipment that use diesel.  The fuel is provided by Neste, the leading producer of biofuels in the world.  The biofuel is a high quality renewable diesel fuel that is also known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil, and is considered an advanced form of biofuel that is superior to traditional biodiesel.  The fuel is comprised of waste fats (such as animal and fish fats) and vegetable oil residues (such as palm oil, corn oil and soybean oil) which results in up to 90% reduction in

By day, Dave Wilson is a skilled locator for the Distribution Systems department at SJW. This involves visiting various sites around the service area to let contractors know where our facilities are located underground, using a metal detector. By night… you can catch him rehearsing or performing with his hard rock / heavy metal band, Mukagee, whose Facebook page currently boasts over 17,000 followers from across the globe.

Dave was exposed to music from a young age, growing up hearing his mother sing for their church choir and later with the San Jose Symphonic Choir. She even had the

Even following a season of heavy rainfall, California will always be susceptible to drought, so selecting plants that can withstand inevitable dry spells will always be critical. Whether you’re a veteran green thumb or a gardening first-timer, you don’t need to worry! At San Jose Water, we’ve pulled together all the best tips and resources to help you become a water-wise gardening pro.

First Steps

First, check out our Water Calculator to determine how much water your outdoor space currently uses. Your results will generate a schedule based on how many gallons your lawn or other plant

Updated:April 24, 2020

Due to COVID-19, the May 22, 2020 event has been cancelled. We will update once we have more information about a possible future date.  

San Jose Water has been a proud sponsor of Water Awareness Night with the San Jose Giants for 24 years. The event is scheduled for Friday, May 22, 2020 as listed in the bill insert sent to all of our customers.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected our entire community. San Jose Water and Minor League Baseball are both monitoring the situation closely.

Major League Baseball announced the postponement of the start of the