Which water district serves a Hemet home?

You have a Hemet address in hand. It is easy to assume the City of Hemet will send the water bill.

Most of the city’s area is actually served by someone else: Eastern Municipal Water District or Lake Hemet Municipal Water District. Sewer service can belong to a different agency again, so you also need to check whether the property has sewer service or a septic system.

Why is Hemet divided among water providers?

Hemet is divided among providers because the city grew far beyond the water system it purchased in 1954.

That year, the city bought the Lake Hemet Water Company system. Hemet later expanded mostly to the south and west, bringing the city limits to 17,728 acres, or 27.7 square miles. The municipal water service area stayed approximately the same size.

The city’s system covers about 5.25 square miles. Eastern Municipal Water District, usually shortened to EMWD, and Lake Hemet Municipal Water District, or LHMWD, serve the other 22.45 square miles of incorporated Hemet. You can see that history and division on the City of Hemet water system page.

A Hemet mailing address does not identify the water provider. Even an address within city limits may receive its water from another district, so you need to check the service boundary.

Where is the City of Hemet water area?

The city-water area runs roughly from Menlo Avenue south to Stetson Avenue and from Sanderson Avenue east to San Jacinto Street.

Treat those streets as general edges, not as parcel boundaries. If a property is near one of them, check the complete address instead of choosing a provider based on the nearest cross street.

Open the city’s Establishing Utility Service page and follow its link to the City of Hemet Water Service Area Map. Enter the property address in the search bar at the top left. Shaded areas on the map receive City of Hemet Water service.

When the address falls outside the shading, check the service map linked from the LHMWD website. If the maps do not give you a clear result, call the possible provider and give the exact address. Ask for the answer in writing if you can.

Keep the water check separate from the sewer check. The two boundaries do not necessarily match.

Who should you call when the address is outside the city-water area?

Call the agency that may serve the address and ask it to confirm service for that specific property.

The City of Hemet lists these contacts:

• Eastern Municipal Water District: (951) 928-3777 or (800) 426-3693
• Lake Hemet Municipal Water District: (951) 658-3241
• City of San Jacinto: (951) 487-7330

EMWD serves retail customers within Hemet. It also supplies water wholesale to the City of Hemet and LHMWD, but that wholesale relationship does not tell you which agency will put its name on a property’s bill. You still need an address-level answer.

LHMWD offers a New Service Application through its website. If you need to mail something to the district, use P.O. Box 5039, Hemet, CA 92544-0039. LHMWD says mail is not delivered to its physical address.

What does starting City of Hemet service after a sale require?

You need proof of ownership and must pay the city’s listed start-up fee when opening City of Hemet service as an owner.

The city handles owners and tenants differently. An owner shows proof of ownership, while a tenant provides a lease. Ask the utility office which document it will accept for your closing and planned service date.

The city’s service page lists a $45.00 start-up fee, placed on the first bill. It also lists same-day turn-on charges of $58 when payment is made before 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and $146 after 3 p.m. or on Friday. Next-business-day service has no added turn-on fee. These figures may change, so confirm them before arranging the handoff.

You can reach City utility customer service at (951) 765-2350 or cs@hemetca.gov. The office is at 445 E Florida Avenue.

Opening utilities is separate from dealing with the supplemental property tax bill after buying. That bill follows its own process after the sale.

Is sewer service handled by the same agency?

No, the water provider and sewer provider can be different.

The City of Hemet owns and operates a wastewater collection system that serves much of the community. Its wastewater page and boundary map mark the city wastewater service area in green. The city does not own or operate a wastewater treatment plant. EMWD treats all wastewater collected by the city at the San Jacinto Regional Water Reclamation Facility.

When a property falls outside the green city-sewer boundary, find out whether another agency provides sewer service. Check for a septic system separately rather than trying to infer the answer from the water district. A seller can review utility bills and property records, while a buyer can ask for sewer or septic information before removing the relevant contingencies.

The LHMWD website has an “EMWD Sewer Rates” menu item. That label shows that some LHMWD-water addresses may use EMWD sewer service, but it does not identify which parcels.

For the sale itself, review what a septic system means at a sale and the California seller disclosure requirements.

Where does City of Hemet water come from?

City of Hemet water comes only from local groundwater drawn from the Hemet groundwater basin.

The city operates nine wells. Its water system also includes four storage reservoirs with a maximum capacity of 5.1 million gallons and 120 miles of water mains. The city has emergency exchange connections with EMWD and LHMWD, allowing water exchanges during emergencies, but local groundwater remains the stated supply for customers in the city system.

Planning for the Hemet/San Jacinto Groundwater Management Area involves EMWD, LHMWD, the cities of Hemet and San Jacinto, and private water producers. The city’s 2020 Urban Water Management Plan was adopted in July 2021, as described on the City of Hemet water supply page.

Those details apply to the city’s 5.25-square-mile service area. For an EMWD or LHMWD address, use that provider’s records when checking the property’s water supply.

What water records should a buyer or seller check?

For a City of Hemet address, check the city’s lead service line inventory and its yearly Drinking Water Quality Report.

The city says it physically inspected every service line in its distribution system, regardless of ownership. It verified that all lines were non-lead and made of copper or plastic, including customer-owned portions. This finding covers only the City of Hemet system. For a property served by EMWD or LHMWD, check the corresponding district’s records.

The city completes a Drinking Water Quality Report each year by July 1. Read the report for the applicable reporting year, but first confirm that the property falls within the city-water boundary. EMWD customers should use EMWD’s water quality information, and LHMWD customers should request the matching district material.

City customers can also use My Water Advisor, which connects to advanced metering infrastructure and provides water-use information and leak alerts. The platform launched on March 23, 2022. Knowing the provider before the transfer helps you request the correct account access and records.

The short version

Verify water, sewer and septic status separately for the exact Hemet address.

Start with the City of Hemet Water Service Area Map. If the address is outside the shaded area, check the LHMWD map, then contact LHMWD or EMWD for confirmation. Use the City of San Jacinto number when the city’s service page directs you there.

Next, check the green city wastewater boundary. If the property is outside it, confirm another sewer provider or find out whether the property uses septic.

For City of Hemet water service, prepare proof of ownership and verify the listed start-up and turn-on fees near the transfer date. Once you know the providers, review the correct service-line information and yearly water quality report, then keep the confirmation with the property records.

If you are weighing a sale, see what the home could sell for once the water and sewer questions are answered.