Where We Began
Madera Valley Water Company was incorporated November 30, 1956 in the state of California and was managed by Rusco Industries in Los Angeles. Any shareholder who had improved his lot by building a residence on it did not pay for water until July 1977.
At that time, Rusco Industries appointed the largest stockholder of the company, Mr. Alfred Cane, to its Board of Directors. They had depreciated the value of Madera Valley Water Company and had no use for it any longer. All the Los Angeles members of the Board of Directors then resigned, leaving the company in the hands of Mr. Cane.
Mr. Cane appointed Mr. Herman Kophoff and Mr. M. Rader Roberts to the Board of Directors. The summer of 1977 was a very tumultuous time for the shareholders residing in the service area as many changes took place. Charges were determined for water usage and new water connections and various other fees were instituted. Several meetings were held on front lawns, in living rooms and across kitchen tables. Many of the shareholders were involved in trying to establish some organization and order to the company that had been literally dropped in their laps. There were no records to speak of from Rusco Industries that would help identify the location of water lines, valves, fire hydrants, etc.
This huge puzzle began to be pieced together bit by bit. Volunteers dedicated many hours of their time walking main water lines, typing endless drafts of information to be sent out to all 2075 shareholders, organizing an accounting system, and informing contractors of the new regulations and company specifications.
Little by little, all things started to fall into place. The business office opened its doors in January 1978. We rented the front desk at Glen Freeman Realty until we could find a place to call our own. In May 1978, we moved to a location at the corner of 6th and A Streets in downtown Madera. In August 1986 we moved into our present location at 18454 Road 26. The new building had been paid for by our shareholders through a building fund assessment.
We have grown from approximately 75 homes in 1977 to 1,906 at the present time. We have drilled several new wells since then and we have tried to catch up on 20 years of much-needed regular maintenance on the water system. Thanks to many hours of volunteer help and a dedicated staff for the last several years, we have kept the shareholders supplied with good, clean and safe water. Until January 1984, we had a staff of two paid employees; one in the field and one in the office. Presently, we have a staff of seven paid employees; General Manager, three field personnel and three office personnel. Our Board of Directors consists of five members and we have two Officers; President and Secretary. There is Board of Directors meeting held each month on the first Wednesday after the first Monday of the month at 6:00 pm at our office. We are quite proud of the fact that we have accomplished so much in a relatively short period of time with so little to work with in the beginning.
We sincerely hope that you, as an owner of this company, will take an active interest in what Madera Valley Water Company is striving to accomplish for the preservation of safe drinking water in the present and in the future for generations to come.