Sacramento Municipal Utility District facts for kids
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| Municipal | |
| Industry | Electricity |
| Founded | 1923 |
| Headquarters | SMUD Headquarters Building Sacramento, California, United States |
| Revenue |  US$ 1.652 Billion (2018) |
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Operating income
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US$ 242.087 Million (2018) |
| US$ 209.138 Million (2018) |
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Number of employees
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2,278 (2018) |
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is a company that provides electricity to homes and businesses. It serves Sacramento County and parts of Placer County. SMUD is special because it is owned by the community it serves, not by private investors. It is one of the biggest public electric companies in the United States.
SMUD gets its power from different sources. A lot of its electricity comes from natural gas and large hydroelectric plants. These plants use the power of moving water to make electricity. SMUD also uses "green power," which means energy from renewable sources like the sun and wind.
SMUD used to own a nuclear power plant called Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station. People who lived in the area voted to close it down in the late 1980s. Even though the plant is closed, its tall towers are still there. Now, solar arrays (big groups of solar panels) and a gas-fired power plant are near the old nuclear plant.
SMUD's main office building is in East Sacramento. It has a famous mural by the artist Wayne Thiebaud. This colorful painting wraps around the first floor of the building. It is one of the artist's earliest and largest artworks.
How SMUD Started
SMUD was created on July 2, 1923. People in Sacramento County voted to start this public power company. However, it took a long time for SMUD to actually start providing electricity. Another power company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), fought SMUD in court for almost 25 years.
Finally, a court decided that SMUD could provide power. SMUD began supplying electricity at the start of 1946. SMUD is a public agency, which means it is part of the State of California's government.
There have been other disagreements between SMUD and PG&E over the years. For example, in the 1980s, people in Folsom voted to get their power from SMUD. PG&E tried to stop this in court, but Folsom residents are now part of SMUD's service area. In 2006, a plan to have SMUD serve cities in Yolo County was voted down.
In 2020, SMUD and other companies received special long-term water contracts. These contracts are for the Central Valley Project, which helps manage water resources.
Who Runs SMUD?
SMUD is managed by a group of seven people called the Board of Directors. Each director is chosen by voters from a specific area, or "ward," for a four-year term. These directors help make important decisions about how SMUD operates.
As of January 2024, the directors were:
- Brandon Rose, Ward 1
- Nancy Bui-Thompson, Ward 2
- Gregg Fishman, Ward 3, Board Vice President
- Rosanna Herber, Ward 4, Board President
- Rob Kerth, Ward 5
- David Tamayo, Ward 6
- Heidi Sanborn, Ward 7
Where SMUD Gets Its Power
A big part of SMUD's electricity comes from the American River. This system is called the "Upper American River Project (UARP)." It is a large network of dams, reservoirs, canals, and tunnels. These structures help create power using water.
The power plants in the UARP system are often run when people need the most electricity. This is usually during "peak demand" times, like hot summer afternoons when many people use air conditioning. The system also helps control floods by managing water levels.
Here are some of the important parts of SMUD's UARP system:
- Rubicon Dam and Reservoir, 1,450 acre-feet
- Buck Island Dam and Reservoir, 1,070 acre-feet
- Loon Lake Dam and Reservoir, built 1963, 76,200 acre-feet
- Gerle Creek Dam and Reservoir, 1,260 acre-feet
- Robbs Peak Reservoir, 30 acre-feet
- Ice House Dam and Reservoir, 45,960 acre-feet
- Union Valley Dam and Reservoir, built 1963, 277,290 acre-feet
- Junction Dam and Reservoir, 3,250 acre-feet
- Camino Dam and Reservoir, 825 acre-feet
- Brush Creek Dam and Reservoir, 1,530 acre-feet
- Slab Creek Dam and Reservoir, 16,600 acre-feet
SMUD also owns the Cosumnes Power Plant, which uses natural gas to make electricity. This plant started operating in 2006. It is located near the old Rancho Seco nuclear facility. SMUD also has power plants that use wind-powered and solar-powered energy.
To meet very high energy demands, especially on hot Sacramento summer days, SMUD has smaller gas-fired "peaker plants." These plants can quickly start up to provide extra electricity when it's needed most.
SMUD is also part of the Advisory Council for the PHEV Research Center. This group studies plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
