About Us
SAMWAC operates as a mutual water company serving approximately 135 connections across a 750-acre service area. The system is supported by groundwater infrastructure including a deep well, storage tanks, and an established distribution network originally constructed in the late 1940s. A volunteer board of directors oversees operations, policy, and financial decisions. Shares are tied to individual properties, reinforcing a governance model where customers are also owners responsible for sustaining the system.
Mission Statement
To sustain a reliable water supply through careful stewardship, shared responsibility, and long-term management of our community’s resources.
To sustain a reliable water supply through careful stewardship, shared responsibility, and long-term management of our community’s resources.
Who We Serve
San Andreas Mutual Water Company (SAMWAC) provides water to a close-knit residential community nestled along the Santa Cruz County coast, west of San Andreas Road and south of La Selva Beach. Our service area spans approximately 750 acres, encompassing the neighborhoods along Zils Road, Crest, Ocean Mist, Palm View Lane, Lily Way, Seaview Terrace, and Lindero Drive. We currently serve 135 active connections within our district.
SAMWAC Boundary Map
Our History
San Andreas Mutual Water Company (SAMWAC) grew from community necessity. Before the company formally existed, Burton Duffield supplied neighbors with water using surplus Army pipes and a well drilled on his property, infrastructure originally installed to support nearby Camp McQuaide during World War II.
In 1952, a small group of dedicated residents incorporated SAMWAC to ensure reliable water service for the growing coastal community. For decades, operations ran almost entirely on volunteer labor. John Brundage Sr. served as the primary operator for over 30 years, climbing the tank daily to check water quality well into his eighties.
The system modernized over the next few decades. Water meters were installed, new wells drilled, aging pipes replaced, and the service area mapped and documented. Fire hydrants were added, computerized billing introduced, and a formal disaster plan established. Each improvement reflected the collective effort of volunteer board members, paid employees, and engaged shareholders committed to clean, reliable water service for their community.
SAMWAC continues that tradition now as a small, independent mutual water company governed by its shareholders and rooted in the cooperative spirit of its founders.
Camp McQuaide 1946
2012
Fire hydrant agreement completed with Aptos/La Selva Beach Fire Department; backflow devices installed
2009
Formal Disaster Plan adopted; Jeremy Montes begins as maintenance contractor
2004
Radio-read meters introduced
2001
Newsletter renamed In The Flow; SAMWAC votes against annexation to Soquel Creek Water District
1990s
Meters upgraded; maps computerized; fire hydrants expanded; billing formalized
1989
Earthquake damages lines; system repaired
1981
First newsletter, the News Leak, launched
1970s
Second well drilled; main lines replaced; system mapped and standardized
1965
Water meters installed; tiered billing replaces flat-rate system
1956
Health Department requires water sampling for the first time; system passes
1952
First official board meeting held; shares begin to be issued
1951-52
Decision made to formally incorporate as San Andreas Mutual Water Company
1947-48
Army surplus water lines laid; 350-foot well drilled; system established on Duffield property
