Celebrating 75 Years of Water
Posted 11/03/11, by Skagit PUD
November each year serves as the anniversary for the formation of Skagit PUD. The PUD was founded 75 years ago on the guiding principle to “conserve the water and power resources ... for the benefit of the people".
Early Days
In 1936, the cities of Anacortes and LaConner had for many years owned their water systems, while the water systems of Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and Burlington were privately owned. The three systems had been installed just before and during World War I. The systems were old and barely adequate to meet the quantity needs of the communities.
For many years the water systems were owned and operated by the Oregon-Washington Water Company, a Delaware corporation, and then had become the property of the People’s Water and Gas Company.
In 1930, the Washington voters approved Initiative No. 1, giving them the authority to create their own nonprofit, locally regulated public utility districts to “conserve the water and power resources of the state of Washington for the benefit of the people thereof, and to supply public utility service, including water and electricity for all uses.”
On November 3, 1936, Public Utility District No. 1 of Skagit County was formed by voters with an approval of 6,173 to 4,971.
On approximately the third anniversary of the formation of Skagit PUD—November 4, 1939—the District formally went into the water business with 3,000 customers.
In 1940, Skagit PUD purchased the Clear Lake water system. Its principle value was the additional gravity water supply and the supply lines from other Cultus Mountain streams.
Due to increasing food requirements during World War II, the water needs of area food processing plants grew rapidly. As a result, the industrial usage nearly doubled from 1941-44, and more than doubled by 1945. The water supply situation during processing season was critically close. Large quantities of water could not be stored for summer use because of the lack of impounding reservoir capacity.
In 1945, a natural reservoir site was located east of Clear Lake, which could receive water from the various streams and permit its transmission by gravity northwest into the Sedro-Woolley area and southwest to Mount Vernon.
Judy Reservoir (named after L.B. Judy, the District’s first general manager) was available for use in 1947, and brought a dependable supply of high-quality, gravity-fed water to the valley. The consolidated storage and treatment facility also meant that chlorinated water could be delivered through 11 miles of transmission lines to Sedro-Woolley and Mount Vernon. The transmission lines loop together in Burlington, creating a strong backbone for the valley’s water supply.
Today, Skagit PUD operates the largest water system in the county, providing nine million gallons of piped water to approximately 65,000 people every day. The PUD maintains nearly 600 miles of pipelines and has over 31 million gallons of storage volume.
The cities of Mount Vernon, Burlington, and Sedro-Woolley receive the majority of our water. Due to public demand for quality water, the PUD also provides service to unincorporated and remote areas of the county. The PUD’s service area includes part of Fidalgo Island at the west end of the county and extends as far east as Marblemount. From north to south, the District’s service area starts in Alger/Lake Samish and extends south to Conway.