Pico Rivera : Water Service Merger Filed
The City Council has moved to consolidate water service by asking for a merger of the Pico Water District and the city’s Water Department.
In the merger application to the Local Agency Formation Commission, the city said the action would improve water service, end duplication of water mains in some areas and increase domestic water pressure. The proposed merger follows a prolonged dispute between the city and the district over water supply to the city’s main redevelopment area along Whittier Boulevard.
The consolidation is opposed by a majority of the Pico Water District board of directors, who dispute the claim of inadequate water service in the area and say the merger would raise rates. If the merger is approved, the city has offered to hire all non-managerial employees of the water district.
The Pico District, one of only a handful of independent water districts in Los Angeles County, serves about 7,500 households in the central part of Pico Rivera.
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