ACWA Honors Helix Water District for Innovative Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure by ACWA Staff May 6, 2026 News Releases SACRAMENTO – The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today presented the prestigious Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence to Helix Water District for their innovative Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Project. Helix Water District built California’s first large-scale public agency charging facility at its operations center in El Cajon to meet regulatory mandates, enhance emergency response and promote regional collaboration. The project includes 87 high-capacity chargers designed for current fleet needs and future expansion, while serving neighboring agencies through shared access. “Helix Water District’s charging infrastructure reflects what’s possible when agencies plan ahead and work together, delivering practical infrastructure that strengthens operations, improves resilience and benefits the broader region,” said ACWA President Ernie Avila. ACWA’s Clair A. Hill Water Agency Award for Excellence is an annual award program that recognizes outstanding achievements by public water agencies. The winning agency has the honor of helping select a deserving student for a $5,000 scholarship sponsored by Jacobs in the name of Clair A. Hill, founder of Jacobs. The award was presented during ACWA’s 2026 Spring Conference in Sacramento where over 1,400 water industry professionals in California gathered for programs and panel discussions on a variety of key water issues. The other finalists for this year’s award were: Crescenta Valley Water District for its Stormwater Capture and Groundwater Recharge Project Eastern Municipal Water District for its Perris North Groundwater Program Georgetown Divide Public Utility District for its Wildfire Resilience and Fuel Reduction Project For more information about ACWA’s awards programs, please visit www.acwa.com/awards.
