Water and Wastewater Projects and Systems

For water and wastewater financing, Orrick is a leading national bond counsel firm. Since 1985, members of our Water and Wastewater Financing Group have participated in over 650 tax-exempt financings aggregating more than $57 billion dollars. Our practice is issuer-oriented, although we also represent underwriters and other financing participants. Our bond counsel clients include state agencies, cities, counties, water agencies, and sanitation agencies, including those listed below:

Water Wholesalers

• California Department of Water Resources
• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
• San Diego County Water Authority
• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Municipal Water and Sewer Systems

• City of Anaheim
• Board of Water Supply, City and County of Honolulu
• Jacksonville Electric Authority
• City of Albany (OR)
• City of Beaverton
• City of Bend
• City of Brentwood
• City of Burlingame
• City of Folsom
• City of Fresno
• City of Fortuna
• City of Klamath Falls
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
• New York City Municipal Water Finance Authority
• City of Oakland
• City of Lake Oswego
• City of Lodi
• City of Madera
• Nassau County
• City of Pittsburg
• City of Richmond (CA)
• City of Salem
• City of Santa Barbara
• City of Turlock

Special Districts

• Amador Water Agency
• Contra Costa Water District
• Elsinor Valley Municipal Water District
• Imperial Irrigation District
• Irvine Ranch Water District
• Monterey County Water Agency
• Niagra Falls Public Water Authority
• Olivenhain Municipal Water District
• Sacramento County Sanitation District
• Sacramento County Water Agency
• Solano Immigration District
• Sweetwater Authority

Diverse Experience

Our water and wastewater financing practice includes financings for sanitary districts, utility districts, community service districts, joint powers authorities, and cities.

We have also served as bond counsel on a number of public/private partnerships involving a variety of private company “design, build and operate” water and desalination projects and privatizations.

Orrick serves as bond counsel for general obligation bonds, project and system revenue bonds, assessment bonds, Mello-Roos bonds, Marks-Roos bonds, certificates of participation (in both lease and installment purchase obligations), notes, commercial paper, warrants, and a variety of other debt instruments. Obligations have involved capital appreciation bonds, tender option bonds, floaters and inverse floaters, and swaps and other derivative products that have been sold at both competitive and negotiated sale. We have been involved with financings for major capital improvement programs, ranging from the prepayment of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation contracts to the financing of water production, distribution, and storage facilities; treatment and pretreatment facilities; sewers; aqueducts; hydroelectric facilities; and desalination plants. In addition to serving as bond counsel, Orrick also regularly serves as disclosure counsel, interest rate swap counsel, or as counsel to the underwriters or other financing participants.