For more than a decade, the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians lived with water they could not fully trust. Now, a new treatment system from ATEC Water Systems has changed that reality for roughly 1,400 residents at Big Valley Rancheria in Lake County, California. This is a story about more than pipes and filters. It is about a tribe reclaiming control of something sacred.
Decades of Aging Infrastructure and Broken Promises
12 Big Valley Tribal members are descendants of the Xa-Ben-Na-Po Band of Pomo Indians that historically have inhabited the Clear Lake area for over 11,800 years. 12 Because of their interrupted past, the tribal government has been developing, but their membership is strong and their people are wise. 1 The tribe has long struggled with aging infrastructure at Big Valley Rancheria in Lake County, California. Even though the Rancheria sits near Clear Lake, the water supply had ongoing quality issues, including discoloration and hardness.
That water trouble did not exist in isolation. 36Clear Lake, California’s largest natural freshwater lake, suffers from low-to-no-oxygen conditions that contribute to harmful algal blooms. It has long dealt with mercury contamination, high nutrient levels, and low dissolved oxygen.
The tribe’s water problems were not just inconvenient. They were a public health concern that demanded urgent action.
3 The original Big Valley Rancheria Water Treatment Plant was inaugurated in 2003. Facilities included one active well, a treatment plant, pumping facility, a 270,000-gallon storage tank, and a distribution system. But after two decades of wear, that system was no longer keeping up.
Across Native American communities, this kind of infrastructure failure is tragically common. 30An estimated 48 percent of homes on tribal lands lack access to clean drinking water or sanitation services. 34According to federal data, Native American households are 19 times more likely than white households to lack indoor plumbing.
ATEC water filtration system tribal community clean drinking water California
Why Water Sovereignty Matters to the Pomo Tribe
For the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, fixing the water system was never just about technology. It was about independence.
1 Tribal Chairman Flaman McCloud Jr. said, “Our community is the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians. We have several villages around this area; it’s a longstanding community of over 1,200 citizens. The tribe really prides itself on its sovereignty. Part of that is water sovereignty.” 1 The Big Valley Band understood that their water issues needed more than a technical fix. For the tribe, water is tied to independence, health, and the ability to provide and care for their community on their own terms.
The tribal leadership wanted a partner, not a takeover. 1Like many tribal communities, Big Valley Rancheria had experienced decades of underinvestment. This naturally made the tribe cautious about forming outside partnerships. Any trust with an outside entity needed to be earned.
That cautious approach reflects a broader reality. 26Even when water treatment infrastructure gets built, maintaining it is often the harder challenge. Maintenance requires ongoing staff and financial resources many tribes lack.
How ATEC Water Systems Stepped In
1 ATEC Water Systems, a California-based company, provided the solution the tribe had been searching for, while also respecting their autonomy. ATEC is a producer of utility-scale water filtration solutions for community groundwater sources, and it modernized the tribe’s water treatment system. Most importantly, the tribe maintains full control over its water. 8 ATEC began in 1982 in Hollister, California, with an initial focus on filtering water for agriculture. The company began partnering with Cadiz, Inc. in 2015, and Cadiz formally purchased ATEC in 2022.
Here is a quick look at ATEC Water Systems by the numbers:
| Key Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982, Hollister, California |
| Parent Company | Cadiz Inc. (NASDAQ: CDZI) |
| Installations | 450+ across 10 U.S. states, Canada, and Sri Lanka |
| Tribal Partnerships | 12+ since 2008 |
| Treatment Capacity | Up to 60 million gallons per day |
| Contaminants Addressed | Iron, manganese, arsenic, chromium-6, PFAS, nitrates |
1 Ben Ray III, CEO and Tribal Administrator for the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, explained, “You can have a small plant for anywhere from a couple hundred gallons a minute to up to thousands of gallons a minute, and you can use the same vessels to take out any types of contaminants from the water system.” 1 The new Big Valley Rancheria system treats contaminants such as iron, manganese, ammonia, and corrosivity. It delivers up to 100 gallons of water per minute and serves approximately 1,400 residents.
ATEC’s parent company, Cadiz Inc., has seen massive growth fueled by projects like this one. 2Total company revenue reached $11.2 million for the nine months ending September 30, 2025, up 131% year over year, largely driven by contributions from ATEC. 4Year to date, ATEC shipped 308 filtration systems, more than double the volume achieved in 2024.
Results the Community Could See and Feel
1 The impact on the Big Valley Rancheria community was immediate when the ATEC system became operational. Not only did the water quality significantly improve, but the system’s automated operation also reduced the number of service interruptions affecting the tribe.
Lead operator Leon Fred noticed the difference right away.
“The most interesting part of the ATEC system is not having the downtime for backwashing cycles. We don’t even really notice when the backwash goes on until we hear the water sounds because it’s automatic and there’s no loss in production time.”
1 Clean, dependable water is essential to public health and housing stability. It is also key to long-term, sustainable planning for the tribe’s future.
For the tribal leadership, this was personal. 1Chairman McCloud added, “When that relationship was made, we were very fortunate and blessed that it happened with the right people. That’s going to provide for our people for generations. And that’s one less thing that we have to worry about.”
The Big Valley Band is not the only tribal community that ATEC has served. 7Earlier in 2024, ATEC finalized installation of new arsenic filtration systems at wells on tribal lands in Thermal, California near the Salton Sea for the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indian Tribe.
A Long-Term Partnership, Not a One-Time Fix
What sets this project apart is its sustainability. 1ATEC Water Systems’ partnership with the Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians is not a one-time project. ATEC provides ongoing technical support and long-term maintenance to its customers.
That ongoing commitment addresses one of the biggest pain points in tribal water systems.
1 Steve Green, Chief Commercial Officer at ATEC, shared, “We are proud of the work we are doing with tribal partners to remove contaminants of concern from their water supply.”
The system is also built to grow. 8ATEC has designed, built, and installed 450 specialized filtration systems in ten U.S. states, as well as Canada and Sri Lanka. The systems can be scaled to serve small communities as well as large municipalities, with treatment capacity of up to 60 million gallons per day. They also require less maintenance than traditional filtration systems, lowering operating costs for small, rural, and disadvantaged communities.
For Big Valley Rancheria, this flexible design means the system can evolve as the community grows and its needs change.
At a time when nearly half of all Native American households still struggle with basic access to clean water, stories like this one carry enormous weight. 1The water treatment facility at Big Valley Rancheria is tangible proof that modern water solutions can support tribal sovereignty. What happened here is more than an engineering success. It is a model for how tribes and private companies can work together with mutual respect, shared goals, and a commitment to something bigger than profit. If you have thoughts on tribal water rights or the role of private partnerships in solving clean water challenges, share them in the comments below.
