Glendale Water and Power Department
| Company type | Municipal utility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Water and electricity |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Headquarters | Glendale, California , United States |
Area served | Glendale, California |
Key people | Loren Grayson (first Chief Engineer and General Manager, 1951) |
| Products | Water services, Electricity services |
| Parent | City of Glendale |
Glendale Water & Power (GWP) operates as a municipal utility, delivering water services to about 33,744 customers and electricity to roughly 85,358 clients within Glendale, California. As a city-owned entity governed by the GWP Commission and the Glendale City Council, GWP holds the designation of Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) from the American Public Power Association. This distinction is awarded consecutively and is shared by only 176 out of 2,000 public utilities across the nation.
GWP is actively integrating advanced technologies to improve the provision of clean water and enhance energy efficiency, striving to decrease operating expenses while advancing sustainability initiatives.
Renewable energy
The utility has demonstrated a long-term dedication to renewable energy sources. Beginning in 1937, GWP procured hydropower generated at the Hoover Dam, and since 1994 has produced electricity utilizing landfill gas from Scholl Canyon. Its renewable portfolio has further diversified with investments in wind power, small-scale Hydroelectricity, and Geothermal energy. Additionally, GWP installed a 261 KW solar photovoltaic array on the roof of Glendale Community College’s parking structure.
Since adopting the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in 2004, GWP has aligned its energy strategy with California’s regulatory framework while carefully considering factors such as rate impacts, system reliability, fiscal responsibility, and environmental sustainability. The RPS goals set were 20% renewable energy by 2015, increasing to 25% in 2016, and reaching 33% by 2020. Presently, renewable sources constitute over 20% of GWP’s total energy mix.
Electricity
Shortly after Glendale was incorporated, the city sought municipal control over its electric infrastructure. In early 1909, confronted with expensive street lighting services from private providers, Glendale authorized a $60,000 bond issue to acquire and develop its own electric system. The city spent $23,000 acquiring the privately owned Glendale Light and Power Company and allocated the remaining funds toward upgrading distribution networks and expanding residential connections. Until 1937, all electricity was purchased from Southern California Edison, which succeeded Pacific Light and Power. That year marked Glendale’s initial contract for power from Hoover Dam to satisfy increasing demand. However, forecasts made in 1938 indicated power shortages after 1942, leading the city to construct its own steam-electric facility—the Grayson Power Plant (GPP), named after Loren Grayson, its first Chief Engineer and General Manager appointed in 1951. The first generating unit of 20,000 kilowatts commenced operations in 1941. Over time, GWP expanded Grayson with additional units, including a 50-megawatt generator installed in 2003 that provides electricity for approximately 10,000 households.
Water Supply
In 1906, Glendale was served by at least fourteen private water companies. By 1913, the city proposed issuing a $248,000 bond to purchase these systems and enhance water services for its population of around 14,000 residents. Approved in 1914, the municipal water system initially depended on gravity-fed supplies from Verdugo Canyon but soon supplemented this with local groundwater wells to accommodate rising demand. In November 1928, Glendale joined twelve other Southern California cities to establish the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California tasked with constructing the Colorado River Aqueduct. Completed in 1941, this aqueduct enabled Glendale to begin receiving imported water from Metropolitan starting in 1946. Currently, nearly two-thirds of Glendale’s water supply is sourced from Metropolitan Water District imports; local groundwater fulfills much of the remainder and is augmented by treated recycled water used for irrigation and street washing purposes.