Rural Water District No. 1 Merges with WaterOne
November 1, 2002

Effective today, Rural Water District No. 1 (RWD #1) has merged with WaterOne. The merger means that approximately 750 former customers of RWD #1 are now retail customers of WaterOne. The merged area is generally located east of DeSoto and west of K-7, from 63rd Street south to K-10.

For many years RWD #1has purchased water, under a wholesale agreement, from WaterOne, and although former RWD #1 customers will see no change in water quality, they will enjoy an approximate 25% decrease in their water rates as customers of WaterOne.

It was concluded through a detailed analysis prior to the merger that it would not have a detrimental operational or financial impact on existing customers in the WaterOne service area. It also concluded that many operational benefits could result from the merger. These include minimized duplication of water lines along common borders and better distribution of water through RWD #1 and the western part of WaterOne’s service area.

The Board of RWD #1 requested to merge their utility with WaterOne earlier this year. In August, both Boards approved a resolution and merger agreement. The effective merger date of November 1, 2002 followed a sixty-day protest period in which no protest petitions were filed.