|
 In
order to provide the homeowners of the Raleigh Hills area with an
affordable and safe water supply, several neighbors came together in
1921 to incorporate a private organization called Raleigh Water Users.
Samuel B. Lawrence, chairman, A. N. Wetterborg, Frank N. Kirby, L.
W. Humphreys, and Edwin O. Isler made up the first Water Committee
which ran the affairs of the corporation.
Property owners within the service area could purchase a number of
shares in the company based on the amount of land they owned, which
financed the corporation in lieu of taxes. Bull Run water then, as
it is now, was purchased from the City of Portland at a wholesale
price to supply the area.
In 1947, Raleigh Water Users became Raleigh Water District, a
domestic water supply district that operates under Oregon state law.
The water district is a local government entity that is governed by
an elected Board of Commissioners. The board is responsible for
hiring a district superintendent and staff who are responsible for
day-to-day operations.
To date, there have been four district superintendents:
Frank N. Kirby Ivan Tinkess Von Walter Matt Steidler
The operation of
district has evolved over time, but here is a look back at some of
the earlier days of Raleigh Water:
A
booklet listing the Water Rates of 1923,
a rare document of which only one copy is known to exist and is
among the oldest records the district has kept in its archives.
Rules and Regulations
of Raleigh Water District, a booklet given to customers sometime
in the 1950s. Its date of printing is unknown, but as shown in the
booklet, it pre-dates the ZIP Code and lists the office telephone
number as "Cypress 2-4894." This booklet also features
the mascot of the
American Water Works Association, "Willing Water," a water droplet
who offered helpful water-saving tips. Willing was retired as a
mascot in 1981.
 |
