Private Investor-Owned Utility
California Water Service Company - Bakersfield System (CWS - Bakersfield)
Serving Bakersfield, City of Bakersfield, Olcese, and North Garden in Kern County
Population served
267,881 people; 58,818 residential service connections, 6,569 commercial connections, and 28 industrial connections according to California Drinking Water Watch for active system CA1510003. Cal Water also operates the City of Bakersfield water system under an operations-and-maintenance contract, while this record is the active CWS - Bakersfield public-water-system entry.
State system code
FIPS 06
Billing frequency
Generally monthly billing, with the bill showing the service period, meter read dates, current charges, due date, and prior balance. The exact read and due-date calendar is premise-specific.
Provider briefing
How this utility’s billing works
California Water Service Company - Bakersfield System (CWS - Bakersfield) operates as a private investor-owned utility serving Bakersfield, City of Bakersfield, Olcese, and North Garden in Kern County. Customers should use the provider’s current account-specific bill and official customer-service instructions as the final authority for deadlines, balances, and service requests.
The published water-rate framework is described as CPUC-regulated metered residential structure for the Bakersfield tariff area, with a fixed monthly service charge plus volumetric charges under the current Residential Metered Service BK schedule; separate non-residential and residential-flat-rate schedules also exist. Cal Water's current Bakersfield page identifies the Residential Metered Service BK tariff as effective July 1, 2026. The live page confirmed the schedule date but did not expose the 2026 dollar table during review, so no unpublished tier amounts are inferred here.. Bills are generated generally monthly billing, with the bill showing the service period, meter read dates, current charges, due date, and prior balance. the exact read and due-date calendar is premise-specific., and a typical residential cost reference is A dedicated this detail was not publicly posted. For an exact 2026 dollar estimate because Cal Water's current Bakersfield page confirms the July 1, 2026 residential-metered tariff but its linked rate document did not expose the current dollar values in the live text view. Cal Water's 2026 infrastructure page identifies median use as 8,976 gallons, or 12 CCF, and reports a 20-cent-per-day bill increase under the new rate decision, but that is not a complete bill amount. Sewer, taxes, surcharges, and any City of Bakersfield charges are excluded.. These descriptions are useful planning benchmarks; actual charges can change with meter size, usage, sewer averaging, local taxes, drought stages, or account-specific fees.
Wastewater and sewer calculation
Cal Water bills the Bakersfield potable-water charge. Sewer or wastewater charges may be imposed separately by the City of Bakersfield or another sewer agency and are not governed by one Cal Water Bakersfield formula. The applicable sewer agency may use actual water consumption, a winter average, an upper cap, or a fixed residential equivalent-unit charge. Customers should compare the water meter usage with the separate sewer bill and ask the serving sewer agency for its current base, usage, winter-average, and adjustment rules.
Meter and infrastructure notes
The Bakersfield system uses customer water meters and Cal Water's periodic billing reads. The district page does not publish a fixed local AMI deployment percentage or route day; Cal Water company materials describe AMR/AMI pilots in selected districts but do not establish that every Bakersfield account has an advanced meter. Customers should use the bill's read dates and current/previous reads, review usage history in the portal, and ask Cal Water to confirm the exact meter technology and leak-alert capability for the premise. The system's active sources include groundwater wells, Kern River surface water treated through advanced membrane filtration, purchased treated water from Kern County Water Agency, and treatment/blending for source-specific contaminants.
Emergency water support
Report a leak or water emergency
For water emergencies, main breaks, service-line leaks, flooding, or suspected water-quality problems in the Bakersfield District, call 661-837-7200; Cal Water lists the same number for main and after-hours contact. Call 911 for an immediate life-safety emergency and avoid contact with contaminated or electrically hazardous water.
Official starting point
Choose the right next step
Reading this profile
A practical reference for Bakersfield, City of Bakersfield, Olcese, and North Garden in Kern County
California Water Service Company - Bakersfield System (CWS - Bakersfield) is listed here as a private investor-owned utility. The profile separates account actions—such as paying a bill or requesting service—from explanatory material about rates, meters, wastewater, leaks, and delinquency.
Because utility rules can vary by account class, meter size, service address, billing date, and local ordinance, treat the published bill and current provider website as the final authority. Use this profile to locate the correct channel and prepare better questions for customer service.
If your issue is urgent, start with the provider’s emergency number or official payment route rather than waiting for an email response. Keep a written record of calls, confirmation numbers, notice dates, and documents you submit.