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$ 1.954 Billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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 US$ 183 Million (2023) |
| US$ 220 Million (2023) |
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Number of employees
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2,343 (2023) |
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is a power company that provides electricity to homes and businesses. It is owned by the community it serves, which includes Sacramento County and parts of Placer County in California.
SMUD is one of the largest public power companies in the United States. It gets most of its electricity from natural gas and large power plants that use water (called hydroelectric plants). In 2020, about 33.8% of SMUD's power came from green, renewable energy sources.
SMUD used to own a nuclear power plant called the Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station. People who paid for SMUD's electricity voted to close it in the late 1980s. Even though the plant is no longer used, its tall towers are still there. Nearby, SMUD has built solar farms and a large natural gas power plant.
SMUD's main office building is in Sacramento. It has a special mural by a famous artist named Wayne Thiebaud. This colorful painting wraps around the bottom floor of the building. It is one of the artist's first big works and his largest one so far.
How SMUD Started
SMUD was created on July 2, 1923, when people in Sacramento County voted for it. However, it took almost 25 years for SMUD to start providing power. Another power company, Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), tried to stop SMUD in court.
Finally, a court decided that SMUD could provide power. SMUD began serving customers in early 1946. SMUD is a public agency of California. This means it is not controlled by the same federal rules as private power companies.
SMUD and PG&E have had other disagreements over the years. In the 1980s, people in Folsom voted to join SMUD. PG&E fought this in court, but Folsom residents are now part of SMUD. In 2006, a plan to expand SMUD's service to include cities like West Sacramento, Davis, and Woodland was voted down by residents.
In February 2020, SMUD and 74 other projects received long-term federal water contracts. These contracts are for water from the Central Valley Project, which is important for power generation.
How SMUD is Managed
SMUD is run 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. 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
SMUD gets a lot of its electricity from the South Fork of the American River. This area is called the "Upper American River Project (UARP)." It includes many dams, reservoirs (large lakes that store water), canals, and tunnels. These are all connected to hydroelectric power plants. These plants use the force of moving water to create electricity.
The power plants usually run when people need the most electricity, like on hot summer days. However, they also need to make sure there's enough space in the reservoirs to prevent floods.
Here are some of the important parts of the UARP, listed from upstream (higher up the river) to downstream (lower down):
- Rubicon Dam and Reservoir, which holds about 1,450 acre-feet of water.
- Buck Island Dam and Reservoir, holding about 1,070 acre-feet.
- Loon Lake Dam and Reservoir, built in 1963, holding about 76,200 acre-feet.
- Gerle Creek Dam and Reservoir, holding about 1,260 acre-feet.
- Robbs Peak Reservoir, holding about 30 acre-feet.
- Ice House Dam and Reservoir, holding about 45,960 acre-feet.
- Union Valley Dam and Reservoir, built in 1963, holding about 277,290 acre-feet.
- Junction Dam and Reservoir, holding about 3,250 acre-feet.
- Camino Dam and Reservoir, holding about 825 acre-feet.
- Brush Creek Dam and Reservoir, holding about 1,530 acre-feet.
- Slab Creek Dam and Reservoir, holding about 16,600 acre-feet.
SMUD also owns power plants that use natural gas, like the Cosumnes Power Plant. This plant started working in 2006 and is near the old Rancho Seco nuclear plant. SMUD also has power plants that use wind and sunlight to make electricity.
Additionally, SMUD has smaller natural gas plants called "peaker plants." These are used to provide extra power when electricity demand is very high, especially during Sacramento's hot summers.
SMUD is also part of the Advisory Council for the PHEV Research Center.
