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About

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Belfair Water District No. 1 (System ID No. 053500) (District) is a publicly owned and operated Group A water system. The governing body for the District is the Board of Commissioners. The members of the Board of Commissioners are as follows:

  • Mike D. Pope, Secretary
  • Greg Born, Chairman
  • Jill Satran-Loudin, Treasurer

Dale Webb, District Manager, is responsible for the day-to-day management, maintenance, operation, and quality control of the water system. Dale Webb became Belfair Water District's new General Manager effective May 1, 2017. His Washington State certification is Water Distribution Manager 2 (WDM 2) and Cross Connection Control Specialist (CCS), Certificate No. 12079. The Operations Supervisor is Jim Freeman, who is also certified as a WDM 2 and CCS, Certification No. 10136.

The Community of Belfair is a small, unincorporated community located at the extreme head of Hood Canal. Belfair is in north Mason County, approximately 25 miles northeast of Shelton, the Mason County seat. Three state highways converge in the community: SR-300, SR-3, and SR-106. Its location, approximately 10 miles southwest of Bremerton, lends itself well to being a bedroom community for those who work at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards. Additionally, the proximity of Hood Canal means that it enjoys a high tourist trade in the summer months.

Belfair Water District No. 1 was formed as the result of an election held on February 24, 1966. Prior to that time, the Belfair area was served by at least four separate water companies. The four companies, Bearcat Water company, Squire Supply, Belfair Water Company, and the North Belfair Community Water System each served small pockets of customers. The systems were not intertied or interconnected. In addition, Mason County PUD No. 3 had a flowing artesian well on its property serving only its own facilities. This well produced approximately 300 gpm. It had a shut-in pressure of 18 pounds per square inch (psi).

Earliest notes on the private systems indicate that one or more were formed in the 1930s and 1940s. The four companies utilized surface water as their source of supply. Each of the headworks werex in the hills lying above and generally to the east of the Belfair community area.

During the period of 1963-1965, the Thurston-Mason Health District performed several inspections on the four community water supply systems. All four systems were occasionally deficient in water quality. Additionally, some systems were found to have a quantity deficiency. Several times during this period, the Health District Engineer recommended that the water systems be consolidated either by forming a public water district or under the auspices of Mason County PUD No. 3. Consequently, on February 24, 1966, a successful election was held to form Belfair Water District No. 1.

Since its formation in 1966, the District has consolidated the distribution systems, and now serves the entire Belfair community. The District serves more than 500 connections in Belfair. There are still a few small private and public water systems that serve the peripheral area of the Belfair Community Center.