Perris, CA (November 18, 2021) — Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) has initiated the process to realign its Board Member divisions in response to population data from the 2020 census.

As a government-authorized Special District, EMWD provides service to nearly 900,000 customers across a 558-square mile service area that stretches from Moreno Valley to Temecula, and from the San Jacinto Valley to the Mead Valley area. Each division should represent approximately 174,000 people.

Every 10 years, the board division boundaries are adjusted to help ensure equal representation across the five divisions. EMWD’s service area population has grown by approximately 15 percent since the 2010 census, however not all divisions have grown proportionately.

Adjustments to division boundaries should help create divisions that are equal in population as far as practicable and may also factor in topography and geography; keeping communities of interest together; and cohesiveness, contiguity, integrity, and compactness of territory. EMWD staff have created three proposals that the Board will consider. All involve only minor adjustments to division boundaries.

“We believe that all three options proposed by staff are fair and equitable and benefit the residents within our service area through equal representation,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “This is an important process, and we encourage our customers to provide us with their feedback so that our Board can make the decision that is in the best interest to all of our customers.”

The first public hearing will take place on December 15, 2021, and the second public hearing will take place at a Board Meeting in February 2022. EMWD’s Board Meetings are held at 9 a.m. located at 2270 Trumble Road, Perris, CA. Online viewing options are also available at www.emwd.org.

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Eastern Municipal Water District is the water, wastewater and recycled water service provider to nearly one million people living and working within a 558-square mile service area in western Riverside County. It is California’s sixth-largest retail water agency, and its mission is “To deliver value to our diverse customers and the communities we serve by providing safe, reliable, economical and environmentally sustainable water, wastewater and recycled water services.”
More information can be found at www.emwd.org.