Skip to main content
Donate

Jeffrey Kightlinger

Jeffrey Kightlinger was the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager for The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California from 2006 to 2021. The Metropolitan Water District is the largest municipal water provider in the United States delivering an average of over 2 billion gallons of water a day to 19 million residents in Southern California. Mr. Kightlinger was the longest serving CEO in the history of Metropolitan. As CEO, he oversaw Metropolitan’s $1.8 billion annual budget and 1,800 employees, and was the lead on numerous landmark agreements and programs in western water development over the last twenty years. Prior to becoming CEO, Mr. Kightlinger was Metropolitan’s chief legal officer, overseeing the agency’s legal issues, and a known expert on California water law and the law of the Colorado River.

Support Provided By
A crowd of roughly 30,000 came to see Owens River water flow out of the Sylmar Gates and into the San Fernando Valley. Courtesy of the Herald-Examiner Collection, Los Angeles Public Library.
Water and Southern California: Past, Present, and Future
Every 30 years since 1900, a new generation of Southern Californians faced a distinct water challenge.
Active loading indicator