DOMINGUEZ WATER CORPORATION COLLECTION,
1910-1986
Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Allan Goldman
California State University, Dominguez Hills
Archives amp; Special Collections
University Library, Room G-145
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, California 90747
Phone: (310) 243-3895
URL: http://archives.csudh.edu/
©2006
Descriptive Summary
Title: Dominguez Water Corporation Collection
Dates: 1910-1986
Collection Number: Consult repository.
Creator:
Dominguez Water Corporation
Extent:
8 boxes
(4.5 linear feet)
Repository: California State University, Dominguez Hills
Archives and Special Collections
Archives amp; Special Collection
University Library, Room G-145
1000 E. Victoria Street
Carson, California 90747
Phone: (310) 243-3013
URL: http://archives.csudh.edu/
Abstract: This collection includes legal documents, correspondence, monthly and yearly financial reports, receipts, photographs, and
an artifact. Subjects include payroll, budgets, construction, and residential and industrial water supply.
Language: Collection material is in English
Administration Information
Access
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Preferred Citation
[Title of item], Dominguez Water Corporation Collection, Courtesy of the Department of Archives and Special Collections. University
Library. California State University, Dominguez Hills
Acquisition Information
The collection was received in the late 1980s with the help of Professor Judson Grenier. It was likely transferred from the
original pumphouse on Alameda Street in Compton. Additions to the collection have been made by archival staff members
Project Information
This finding aid was created as part of the Early Los Angeles/Rancho San Pedro Manuscript Cataloging Project, a CSU Dominguez
Hills Library project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project started in 2005.
Project Director was Greg Williams. Project Archivists were Thomas Philo and Jennifer Allan Goldman.
History
The Dominguez Water Company was founded in 1911 in an effort to provide a reliable source of water to the Rancho San Pedro
lands. The first board included Henry O’Melveny, Kaspare Cohn, and representatives from the Watson, Carson, and Del Amo families.
Even with a growing consumer base, the cost of maintenance and operations kept the company from earning a profit. In 1914,
the winter flooding damaged pipes, wells, and equipment. The earthquake of 1933 also damaged the pumping plant and equipment.
By 1936, the company was heavily in debt to the Dominguez Estate Company and the County Superior Court ordered the Water Company
to sell its assets to the Estate Company. The following year, it was incorporated as the Dominguez Water Corporation, a subsidiary
of the Dominguez Estate Company.
In 1940, the Water Corporation was granted public utility status, which allowed it to expand its service area to locations
outside of Los Angeles, including the Antelope Valley and Kern County. In the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the Water Corporation
was purchased by the California Water Services Group and ceased operations as a stand-alone utility. Major figures in the
Corporation included Superintendent Egbert P. Tallon, his son Thomas Tallon, and Resident Engineer George Hand.
The collection was received in the late 1980s with the help of Professor Judson Grenier. It was likely transferred from the
original pumphouse on Alameda Street in Compton. Additions to the collection have been made by archival staff members.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of documents from the business operations of the Water Company. The bulk of the documents are financial
in nature, including yearly and monthly reports, receipts, and other records. Major figures in this collection include Water
Company Superintendent Thomas V. Tallon and Resident Engineer George Hand. The collection has been organized into six series.
Arrangement
Arranged in seven series:
- Series I. Financial Documents (1921-1986)
- Series II. Legal Documents (1910-1961)
- Series III. Correspondence (1911-1975)
- Series IV. Reports (1950-1960)
- Series V. Pamphlets (circa 1986)
- Series VI. Photographs (1985)
- Series VII. Artifact (1972)
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Public utilities—Earthquake effects—Los Angeles County
Public utilities—Public relations
Public utilities—Rates
Torrance (Calif.)—History
Water conservation—Los Angeles County
Water distribution—Pipes
Water engineering and management
Water resources
Water rights–California–Los Angeles—history
Water utilities–California—Los Angeles County
Water utilities—Employees
Personal Names
Hand, George H.
Kohn, Kaspare
O’Melveny, Henry
Tallon, Thomas V.
Corporate Names
Dominguez Water Company
California Public Utilities Comission
Watson Land Company
Dominguez Estate Company
Related Collections
Rancho San Pedro Collection
Rancho San Pedro Reference Collection
Financial Documents
1913-1986
Physical Description: 81 folders (6 boxes)
Scope and Content Note
Monthly financial statements, yearly audit reports, and annual reports; an inventory of filed reports; budgets; balance sheets;
and payroll documentation, including vacation days and changes in pay-level or position; information on available pension
plans; loose materials, including a stock certificate; and receipts, kept in the original alphabetic order. Some monthly and
yearly reports are missing, as noted in the inventory.
Box 1, Folder 1
Monthly financial reports, March - November
1924
Box 1, Folder 2
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1925
Box 1, Folder 3
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1926
Box 1, Folder 4
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1927
Box 1, Folder 5
Monthly financial reports, January - July
1928
Box 1, Folder 6
Monthly financial reports, January - September
1929
Box 1, Folder 7
Monthttp://www.taperahmanson.com/discount.asphly financial reports, January - October
1930
Box 1, Folder 8
Monthly financial report, June
1936
Box 1, Folder 9
Monthly financial reports, July - November
1943
Box 1, Folder 10
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1944
Box 1, Folder 11
Monthly financial reports, January - October
1945
Box 1, Folder 12
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1947
Box 2, Folder 1
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1948
Box 2, Folder 2
Monthly financial reports, January - March, July
1949
Box 2, Folder 3
Monthly financial reports, July - November
1950
Box 2, Folder 4
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1951
Box 2, Folder 5
Budget for capital expenditures and details of additions to fixed capital
1953, 1956
Box 2, Folder 6
Monthly financial reports, April - September
1952
Box 2, Folder 7
Monthly financial reports, April - November
1953
Box 2, Folder 8
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1954
Box 3, Folder 1
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1955
Box 3, Folder 2
Monthly financial reports, March - November
1956
Box 3, Folder 3
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1957
Box 3, Folder 4
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1958
Box 3, Folder 5
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1959
Box 3, Folder 6
Monthly financial reports, January - November
1960
Box 3, Folder 7
Monthly financial reports, January - June, October - November
1961
Box 3, Folder 8
Audit report, December 1920 - June 1921
1921
Box 5, Folder 8
Annual report, photocopy
1981
Box 5, Folder 13
Balance Sheets and Statements of Income and Earned Surplus
1954-1960
Box 5, Folder 15
Payroll records
1947-1948
Box 5, Folder 16
Retirement/Pension plans
1957
Box 5, Folder 17
Misc. financial documents - tax reports, draft balance sheets, stock certificate, and 1966 annual report
1916, 1924, 1966
Box 6, Folder 1
Receipts, A - B
1913-1914
Box 6, Folder 3
Receipts, D - G
1913-1914
Box 6, Folder 4
Receipts, H - L
1913-1914
Box 6, Folder 6
Receipts, P - R
1913-1914
Box 6, Folder 8
Receipts, T - Z
1913-1914
Legal Documents
1910-1961
Physical Description: 1 folder
Scope and Content Note
Land deeds; certificates of easement; insurance policies; and a copy of the 1961 petition to the Public Utilities Commission
of the State of California to raise water rates. Most documents dated 1910-1922.
Box 6, Folder 9
Easement contracts, construction contracts, deeds of land, insurance certificates, and Public Utilities Commission opinion
on raising rates
1910, 1912, 1921-1923, 1961
Correspondence
1911-1975
Physical Description: 10 folders (1 box)
Scope and Content Note
General correspondence, kept in original alphabetic order, regarding bill payment, employee accidents, and management of the
company; inner-office memos; and announcements to shareholders of the annual meeting. Also, a folder of photocopied material
and original maps dealing with the Los Angeles County road department and water rights. Bulk of the correspondence falls between
1915 and 1922. A copy of the Board of Directors minutes book covers meetings from 1911 to 1934.
Box 7, Folder 1
General Correspondence, A - E
1919-1922
Box 7, Folder 2
General Correspondence, F - I
1916-1922
Box 7, Folder 3
General Correspondence, J - L
1915-1920
Box 7, Folder 4
General Correspondence, M - Z
1917-1922
Box 7, Folder 5
Loose materials with correspondence
1911, 1914, 1917, 1921-1922, 1972
Box 7, Folder 6
Letters, Shilling, Charles E.
1917-1922
Box 7, Folder 8
Announcements, annual meeting of shareholders
1963, 1974, 1975
Box 7, Folder 9
Correspondence, legal documents, and maps - all copies - regarding county road easements and water rights
1930, 1943, 1958, 1954-56, 1960, 1964
Box 7, Folder 10
Board of Directors minute book (copy)
1911-1934
Reports
1950-1960
Physical Description: 1 folder
Scope and Content Note
Engineering reports on flood control zones and reservoirs; physical system report; and report created for the Public Utilities
Commission petition to raise rates.
Box 7, Folder 11
Engineering reports on flood control zones, reservoirs, physical system, and petition to Public Utilities Commission for rate
increase
1950-1951, 1954, 1960
Pamphlets
circa 1986
Physical Description: 1 folder
Scope and Content Note
Various publicly distributed pamphlets, including “Dominguez Water Corporation: Yesterday and Today,” in honor of the corporation’s
75th anniversary; water conservation brochures; and an introduction to the new corporate office. None of the material is dated.
Box 7, Folder 12
"Dominguez Water Corporation: Yesterday and Today," water conservation pamphlet, brochure for new office
ca. 1960s-1980s
Photographs
1985
Physical Description: 1 folder
Scope and Content Note
Photograph of James Bradley, President of the Water; photographs of the interior and exterior of the Dominguez Water Company
building on Alameda, taken by history student Susan Hikida in 1985. All black and white.
Box 7, Folder 13
Photographs of James Bradley (President); Water Company pumphouse, interior and exterior
1985
Artifact
1972
Physical Description: 1 box
Scope and Content Note
Desk-top flag stand made using redwood from water pipes used by the Dominguez Water Company. Inscription reads: “REDWOOD PIPE
REMOVED AFTER 60 YEARS IN DOMINGUEZ WATER CORP. SYSTEM JUNE 1972”
Box 8
Desk-top flag stand made of a piece of redwood pipe once in service by the Water Company
1972
