Of the 150 public water systems in Skagit County, Skagit PUD’s Judy Reservoir system ranks as the most important by virtue of the large number of customers served and its role as the county-wide Satellite Management Agency. Only the city of Anacortes’ system produces more water, wholesaling much of it to local industries and municipalities.

The balance of the public water systems obtain supplies from individual sources and/or by purchasing from one of these two major systems.

Small Beginnings

Skagit PUD is a municipal corporation of Washington state, governed under RCW Title 54 by its own three elected commissioners. The general manager and Skagit PUD’s staff execute the policies the PUD’s commissioners set. The utility's administration and operations are funded by water revenues from the PUD's customers, augmented by fees paid for impacts on the system and occasional grants from outside agencies.

In 1939, Skagit PUD bought three water systems serving Burlington, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley from the Peoples’ Water and Gas Company, forming the basis for the PUD’s present system. The southern Cultus Mountain streams and the Skagit River were the original system sources. The system included approximately 50 miles of water mains, 4 million gallons of storage, and 3,000 water services. The Cultus Mountain streams and the Skagit River are the PUD's principal sources of supply. The system has grown through other acquisitions, improvements, and outside development to 600 miles of pipeline and over 31 million gallons of storage.

Besides the Judy Reservoir system, Skagit PUD now also owns and operates one water system on Guemes Island, a water system in Alger, and four water systems farther east along the Skagit River. All new water lines are of the highest quality and installed to strict specifications, and all PUD services are metered.