Bear Valley Mutual Water Company

Proudly Serving Irrigation Water to Private Stockholders for Over 100 Years

Bear Valley Mutual Water Company (BVMWC) & Crafton Water Company (CWC) are owned and supported by its shareholders.

All administrative, operating expenses and capital improvements are supported through water rates and annual (or special) assessments.

Our Water

Where it comes from….

Our primary source of irrigation water comes from the Santa Ana River. We also receive water from Big Bear Lake on occasion, as well as from Mill Creek, wells and the State Water project. Rain and snow pack on the local mountains are a welcome source year round.

Our Water is NON-POTABLE and is only available for irrigation. The exception to this is the water delivered through the City of Redlands system. The companies that have agreements with the city for delivery are: Redlands Water Company, Redlands Heights Water Company, West Redlands Water Company and the South Mountain Water Company.

Most of our stockholders use our water to irrigate citrus and avocado groves and some landscaping. As an agricultural driven company that operates seasonally, please note that water may not be available during the winter months, or we may need to shut down the system to make repairs.

History

Old Bear Valley Dam

In 1884 marshy, nearly flat Bear Valley was dammed with a single arch granite impoundment, which held back some 25,000 acre-feet of water for irrigation purposes in the Redlands area. Redlands citrus growers found that the 1884 dam produced insufficient water.

The Bear Valley Mutual Water Company (successor to Bear Valley Irrigation Company) hired John S. Eastwood to design a new dam. In 1912 a 72 ft multiple arch dam was constructed about 300 ft downstream of the old dam and increased the lake capacity to 73,000 acre-feet .

The original granite dam still remains, usually under about 20 feet of water. A highway bridge (SR 18) was built over the arches of the new dam in 1923.

The Bear Valley Irrigation Company Album

View Album