Much of WCSA’s water distribution system was built over 60 years ago under President Franklin Roosevelt’s WPA projects during the Depression. Another large part of our water lines were laid by private water companies or citizens working together to provide their communities with a reliable source for household water and indoor plumbing. The forerunner of WCSA, the Washington County Sanitary District (WCSD), was created during the Depression. The sanitary district employed many jobless young men to lay water and sewer lines that served the Abingdon area with water drawn from Taylors Valley. Some of these cast iron lines are still in use in WCSA’s main distribution system. Then in 1960, the WCSD purchased the Legard Water Company which provided water to Damascus. The Washington County Service Authority was formed in 1976 when the Washington County Sanitary District #1 merged with two private water companies: Goodson Kinderhook Water Authority which included Bristol and southern Washington County, and was founded in 1953, and the Mahanaim Water Company which served the area between Glade Spring and Saltville. **Then between 1960 and 1976, when the Washington County Sanitary District became the Washington County Service Authority, it acquired several private water companies, expanding its service area to include Bristol, southern Washington County, Damascus, Mendota, and the area between Glade Spring and Saltville. Due to the age of our distribution system, WCSA has devoted a significant portion of our budget to maintaining and replacing our older water lines by means of water line replacement projects (such as the recent Valley Street water line replacement) with the most problematic areas receiving top priority. WCSA TIMELINE *** 1910 – Abingdon Water Company provided water service to Abingdon through wooden transmission lines. *** 1938 - Washington County Sanitary District #1 is formed as part of President Roosevelt’s WPA Plan. *** 1953 – Goodson Kinderhook Water Company, a private water company is created to provide water service to Bristol and southern Washington County. *** 1960 – WCSD purchases Legard Water Company, a private water company that provided Damascus with water service. *** 1960 – Mahanaim Water Company is created to serve the area between Glade Spring and Saltville. *** 1976 – Washington County Service Authority is formed by the consolidation of the WSCD #1, GKWC, and Mahanaim Water Company. *** 1977 – The new Washington County Water Treatment Plant on the Middle Fork of the Holston River was put into operation as the main source of WCSA drinking water. ***1979 - WCSA had 12,554 Water Customers.