Imported water refers to water that is transported from the Colorado River Aqueduct and from Northern California. As the South Bay's water wholesaler, West Basin sells the imported water to local water retailers, which in turn sell it to the community. West Basin does not bill residents for water use.
Residents instead pay their local retail water agencies for water service and use.
The retail water agencies have the ultimate responsibility of providing drinking water service to community residents and businesses. Cities in West Basin's service area vary in their water supply sources. Some cities rely solely on either imported water or groundwater, while other cities use both sources of water. Groundwater refers to water that has been pumped up from aquifers beneath the ground. The Water Replenishment District is the agency responsible for managing and replenishing the region's groundwater supply.