Your Water Provider

The water delivered to Rainbow Water’s over 8,800 customers and 3,260 sewer customers is imported from hundreds of miles away. Before water reaches your tap, it travels across two thirds of the state through Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s (Metropolitan) extensive distribution system to be treated at Metropolitan’s Robert H. Skinner Treatment Plant in Temecula. The Skinner Treatment Plant has served as a portion of Rainbow Water's water supply since 1976, and receives a blend of water from the State Water Project (SWP) and Colorado River Aqueduct. The water finally makes its way to Rainbow Water through direct connections to Metropolitan's pipelines.

Metropolitan Water District

Established in 1928, Metropolitan is the largest wholesale treated water supplier in the country. Metropolitan purchases and sells water to a cooperative of 26 member agencies in Southern California, including Eastern Municipal Water District. As a water wholesaler, Metropolitan has a vast system of water treatment facilities, pipelines, and tunnels to distribute the water it imports from over 500 miles away.

Eastern Municipal Water District

The Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) is California's sixth-largest water agency. As a member agency of Metropolitan, EMWD purchases water from Metropolitan and sells it to retail customers and retail water agencies, including Rainbow Water. The water delivered to Rainbow Water via Metropolitan’s pipelines is purchased through EMWD. EMWD charges Rainbow Water the Metropolitan wholesale rate plus a nominal administrative fee of $12 per acre-foot. An acre-foot is 325,800 gallons or approximately equal to the amount of water it would take to fill a football field one foot deep.

California State Water Project

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) manages the State Water Project, the country's largest state-owned and customer-financed water delivery system. The SWP spans 704 miles and delivers clean water to 30 million Californians through a complex system of canals, pipelines, and reservoirs. Rainbow Water benefits from the SWP, as it is one of the sources of water that is treated at the Skinner Treatment Plant and
eventually delivered to Rainbow Water customers through a Metropolitan pipeline connection.

Water Virtual Tour

Take a virtual tour of the incredible journey your water takes to deliver from source to tap.Explore more with Metropolitan Water District's interactive map: mwdh2o.com

Monitoring Your Water Suppy

The water contains a mixture of chlorine and ammonia, which creates a strong disinfectant known as chloramines. Chlorine residual is constantly monitored, and when applicable, Rainbow Water injects small amounts of chlorine into the water.  Rainbow Water is prepared to take remedial action to emergencies as set forth in an Operational Plan approved by the Department of Health Services.

Rainbow Water outinely monitors for contaminants in your drinking water according to federal and state laws.  Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.  The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.  More information about contaminants and potential health effects can be obtained by calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791 or look for it on the EPA's website.

Role of Your Water District

Source of Supply - Rainbow Water purchases water from Eastern Municipal Water District in Perris, Riverside County.  Approximately 20,000 acre-feet of water are needed to service customers each year.

Pumping - The pipelines that trasnport water to Rainbow Water from EMWD are located underground.  The transportation of water requires  water in the service area be pumped uphill to tanks located at a high elevation to allow for water to flow downward to customers when it is needed.

Operations and Distribution - In order to keep the water flowing through the system, Rainbow Water uses water mains, storage reservoirs, and pumps. Continued reliability of the system requires monitoring, repair, installation, and maintenance of Rainbow Water's facilities.

Meter Services - All water delivered to customers is measured through individual meters.  Meter Services install, read, test, and maintain these meters.

For additional water quality or operational clarification, please contact Rainbow Water at (760) 728-1178.  For more up to date information on Rainbow Water, customers are invited to attend Board of Directors and Committee meetings online or in person.  The meetings are held the fourth Tuesday of  the month at 1 p.m. at the Rainbow Water office located at 3707 Old Highway 395, Fallbrook, CA 92028.