CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE GROUP

Our source of supply varies among our operating districts. Certain districts obtain all of their supply from wells; some districts purchase all of their supply from wholesale suppliers; and other districts obtain supply from a combination of wells and wholesale suppliers. A small portion of supply comes from surface sources and is processed through Company-owned water treatment plants. To the best of management’s knowledge, we are meeting water quality, environmental, and other regulatory standards for all Company-owned systems.

Historically, approximately half of our annual water supply is pumped from wells. State groundwater management agencies operate differently in each state. Some of our wells extract ground water from water basins under state ordinances. These are adjudicated groundwater basins, in which a court has settled the dispute between landowners, or other parties over how much annual groundwater can be extracted by each party. All of our adjudicated groundwater basins are located in the State of California. Our average annual groundwater extraction from adjudicated groundwater basins approximates 7.8 billion gallons or 14.9% of our total average annual (2023 to 2024) water supply pumped from wells. Historically, we have extracted less than 100% of our annual adjudicated groundwater rights and have the right to carry forward up to 20% of the unused amount to the next annual period. All of our remaining wells extract ground water from managed or unmanaged water basins. There are no set limits for the ground water extracted from these water basins. Our average annual groundwater extraction from managed groundwater basins approximates 29.6 billion gallons or 56.4% of our total average annual (2023 to 2024) water supply pumped from wells. Our average annual groundwater extraction from unmanaged groundwater basins approximates 15.0 billion gallons or 28.7% of our total average annual (2023 to 2024) water supply pumped from wells. Many managed groundwater basins we extract water from have groundwater recharge facilities for which we financially support the recharge activities by paying well pump taxes. Our well pump taxes for 2024, 2023, and 2022 were $21.8 million, $19.0 million, and $16.2 million, respectively. In 2014, the State of California enacted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 (SGMA). The law and its implementing regulations required most basins to create a sustainability agency by 2017, develop a sustainability plan by the end of 2022, and show progress toward sustainability by 2027. We expect that after the SGMA provisions are fully implemented, all the Company’s California groundwater will be produced from sustainably managed and/or adjudicated basins.

California’s normal weather pattern yields little precipitation between mid-spring and mid-fall. The Washington Water service areas receive precipitation in all seasons, with the heaviest amounts during the winter. New Mexico Water’s rainfall is heaviest in the summer monsoon season. Hawaii Water receives precipitation throughout the year, with the largest amounts in the winter months. Typically water usage in all service areas is highest during the warm and dry summers and declines in the cool winter months. Rain and snow during the winter months in California replenish underground water aquifers and fill reservoirs, providing the water supply for subsequent delivery to customers. As of January 9, 2025, the snowpack water content in California’s northern Sierra region during the 2024 to 2025 water year was 139% of long-term averages (per the California Department of Water Resources). The northern Sierra region is the most important for the state’s urban water supplies. The central and southern portions of the Sierras have recorded 85% and 64%, respectively, of long-term averages. Management believes that supply pumped from underground aquifers and purchased from wholesale suppliers will be adequate to meet customer demand during 2025 and thereafter. However, water rationing may be required in future periods, if declared by the state or local jurisdictions. Long-term water supply plans are developed for each of our districts to help assure an adequate water supply under various operating and supply conditions. Some districts have unique challenges in meeting water quality standards, but management believes that supplies will meet current standards using currently available treatment processes or by installing the best available technologies.

On May 31, 2018, California’s Governor signed two bills (Assembly Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 606) into law that were intended to establish long-term standards for water use efficiency. The bills revise and expand the existing urban water management plan requirements to include five-year drought risk assessments, water shortage contingency plans, and annual water supply/demand assessments. The Water Board, in conjunction with the California Department of Water Resources, has adopted long-term water use standards for indoor residential use, outdoor residential use, water losses, and other uses. Cal Water is also required to calculate and report on urban water use targets each year, that compares actual urban water use to the targets. Management believes that Cal Water is well positioned to comply with all such regulations.

In April of 2024, the EPA finalized a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation establishing legally enforceable MCLs, for six PFAS in drinking water. Under the PFAS regulation, water utilities across the country are required to complete initial PFAS monitoring by 2027 and to implement treatment for sources exceeding the MCL by 2029. We estimate a capital investment of approximately $226.0 million will be required to comply with the regulation. The Company is a party to four separate class-action settlements with the following companies: 3M Company; E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company (n/k/a EIDP, Inc.), DuPont de Nemours, Inc., The Chemours Company, The Chemours Company FC, LLC, and Corteva, Inc. (collectively, DuPont); Tyco Fire Products LP; and BASF Corporation designed to resolve certain claims for PFAS contamination of drinking water in active public water systems. The estimated proceeds from these settlements will provide partial funding for treatment solutions to remove PFAS from water sources in which PFAS has been detected, future testing, and operational expenses. The Company expects to receive proceeds from settlements with the 3M Company and DuPont in the first half of 2025 and expects to receive proceeds from settlements with Tyco Fire Products LP and BASF Corporation in approximately late 2025 or early 2026. The Company plans to use any settlement proceeds received (after deducting legal fees and expenses) to offset capital expenditures required to comply with the PFAS regulation.

On April 17, 2024, the Water Board adopted an MCL of 10 parts per billion for Chromium-6 in drinking water. Our water systems in California will be required to comply with the regulation within two to four years. We developed and installed treatment for this contaminant at most of our impacted water sources when the same MCL was originally set in 2014, which was subsequently vacated for administrative reasons. After the MCL was vacated, we continued to treat our impacted water systems. We anticipate installing treatment for the remaining impacted sources before the regulatory deadline.

The following table shows the estimated quantity of water purchased and the percentage of purchased water to total water production in each California operating district that purchased water in 2024. Other than noted below, all other districts receive 100% of their water supply from wells.

MG = million gallons

• Bay Area Region includes Bayshore and Redwood Valley

** North Valley Region includes Chico and Oroville

*** South Bay Region includes Dominguez and Hermosa Redondo

**** Los Angeles County Region includes Palos Verdes and Antelope Valley

The Bear Gulch district obtains a portion of its water supply from surface runoff from the local watershed. The Oroville district in the Sacramento Valley, the Bakersfield district in the San Joaquin Valley, and the Kern River Valley district in the Los Angeles Area purchase water from a surface supply. Surface sources are processed through our water treatment plants before being delivered to the distribution system. The Bakersfield district also purchases treated water as a component of its water supply.

The Chico, Marysville, Dixon, and Willows districts in the Sacramento Valley, the Salinas Valley Region district in the Salinas Valley, the Selma and Visalia districts in the San Joaquin Valley, and the Travis Air Force Base in Solano County obtain their entire supply from wells.

Purchases for the Bayshore and Bear Gulch districts are in accordance with long-term contracts with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) until June 30, 2034. Purchases for the Los Altos, Livermore, Oroville, Redwood Valley, Stockton, and Bakersfield districts are pursuant to long-term contracts expiring on various dates after 2024. The water supplies purchased for the Dominguez, East Los Angeles, Hermosa Redondo, Palos Verdes, and Westlake districts as well as the Hawthorne and Commerce systems are provided by public agencies pursuant to a statutory obligation of continued non-preferential service to purveyors within the agencies’ boundaries.

Management anticipates water supply contracts will be renewed as they expire though the price of wholesale water purchases is anticipated to increase in the future.

Shown below are wholesaler price rates and increases that became effective in 2024, and estimated wholesaler price rates and percent changes for 2025. In 2024, several districts experienced purchased water rate increases, resulting in the filing of several purchased water offsets with the CPUC.

af = acre foot;

ccf = hundred cubic feet;

yr = fixed annual cost;

mo = fixed monthly cost

(1)untreated water

(2)wholesaler price changes occur every six months

We work with all local suppliers and agencies responsible for water supply to secure adequate, long-term supply for each system.

See Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Water Supply” for more information on adequacy of supplies.