As the appointed Board of Directors, our role is to provide direction, set policies, and develop goals and objectives which guide utility staff in their daily work. The most important goal at present is the expansion of the existing water sources to meet your current and future water demands. While this project has received much of the spotlight in the last few years, there is much more involved in providing water service to you every day.

We are often asked what exactly is the Water Board if it isn't a department of either city, Coos Bay or North Bend. We've found that an understanding of our history helps in understanding what we are today. The public water system for the Bay Area was established in 1897 under the name of Marshfield Water Company and later became Coos Bay Water Corporation. Both were private companies. In 1947, the Cities of Coos Bay and North Bend jointly purchased the water system from Coos Bay Water Corporation and, through City Charter provisions, established Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board to operate as a non-profit municipal water provider with an appointed four-member board of directors, two from each city, with 4-year terms each. The Water Board is managed in this same way today.

Through the years, the water system has seen many changes. In 1926, a small dam on Pony Creek, west of Marshfield, served approximately 1,000 customers. Today, water is supplied from two reservoirs in Pony Creek Watershed, an impoundment in Joe Ney Watershed, and wells located in the sand dunes aquifer. The Water Board serves 12,163 customers(approximately 35,000 people) in the Cities of Coos Bay, North Bend, and unincorporated areas from Hauser to Millington, and from Lower Coos River to Charleston and Cape Arago.

We invite you to peruse our website so that you may understand the activities and issues behind the glass of water you draw from your tap. We'd like to hear from you with any questions or comments you may have. After all, this is your water utility!