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Our Mission
Bellflower Somerset Mutual Water Company will provide safe, high-quality drinking water and trusted service to our shareholders.
The Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company service area covers 1943 acres and includes 64% of all water connections within the City of Bellflower. This includes 6,938 service connections delivering water to approximately 49,000 people.
Facts & Figures
The BSMWC distribution system is designed for reliability. It consists of the following:
All BSMWC wells are equipped with deep well turbine pumps that are operated on a regular basis. Each pump is housed in a building and discharges into the distribution system.
The distribution system is effectively flushed annually through fire hydrants. Improvements in the distribution system are made in accordance with American Water Works Standards
Water Sources
Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company operates groundwater wells as the primary source of water. The Company has water rights to more than 4,300 acre-feet of water in the Central Basin. This water meets 100% of the total water demand.
To ensure a sufficient water supply at all times, BSMWC also maintains four service connections to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). This allows the company to purchase imported water if needed.
Governance
Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company is a mutual water company organized under California Corporations Code 14300, regulated under the US EPA Safe Drinking Water Act, and reporting to the California State Water Resources Control Board. BSMWC is owned 100% by the property owners it serves, who are shareholders in the company.
As a water provider, BSMWC is regulated under the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and California Department of Public Health.
Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company is committed to the highest standards of quality, fiscal responsibility, efficient business practices, accountability, and dedication to transparency. In the interest of educating the community, stakeholders, and agencies, BSMWC will provide publicly accessible information to help people better understand BSMWC services, operations, and finances.
Board of Directors
BSMWC is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of five board members. Board elections are held every two years and Directors serve a four-year term of office. Terms are staggered to ensure continuity.
The Board establishes policy and makes decisions based on the district’s mission, goals, and operations. Board meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of every month. The Board’s policies are administered and implemented by the General Manager, who is appointed by the Board.
Steve Lenton
General Manager
Steve Lenton first joined Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company in 2007 and was promoted to General Manager in 2016. He has more than 40 years of experience in the water industry, working in Texas and at Peerless Water in Bellflower before joining BSMWC. Aside from his time working in Texas, Steve has spent his entire life in Bellflower.
History
Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company traces its history back to 1911 when two mutual water companies were formed: Somerset Mutual Water Company in July and Bellflower Mutual Water Company in December. Emil Firth, one of the founders of Bellflower, proposed setting up a mutual water company to be incorporated and owned by the property owners themselves, known today as stockholders. He donated wells and facilities to establish Somerset Mutual Water Company, with a stipulation that the shares could not be owned separately but would become attached to the land at one share per acre. (Today it is ten shares per each acre.) F.E. Woodruff followed suit, creating Bellflower Mutual Water Company.
In linking ownership of land with shares in the company supplying water, Firth and Woodruff created an opportunity for growth. At that time, most of the water was used to irrigate crops while a small amount was needed for domestic purposes. The availability of water made a difference between garden and desert in communities throughout Southern California in the early 20th century.
In June 1988, Somerset Mutual Water Company and Bellflower Mutual Water Company merged. The name of the new company became Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company. In August 1997, BSMWC acquired Bigby Townsite Mutual Water Company, with approximately 109 services. In November 2005, approximately 782 new services in the City of Bellflower were purchased from the City of Norwalk and County Water Company. BSMWC started managing Bellflower Municipal Water System, owned by the City of Bellflower, in January 2007.
Today, Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company has issued 20,553 shares of stock to 5,770 shareholders, qualifying them for water service. All stock is still connected to the land and cannot be transferred to anyone outside the service area. The company operates under a permit issued by the California Department of Public Health and complies with all California Domestic Water Quality and Monitoring Regulations of the California Health and Safety Code.
Celebrate 110 years of reliable water service!
We are commemorating the 1911 founding of what is now known as Bellflower-Somerset Mutual Water Company – your hometown supplier of clean, dependable water.
To mark the occasion, we created this video highlighting the company’s rich history and vital role in the community.
