History of Canadian County Water Authority
In 1978, five men sat on the front porch of Walt Conner’s home to discuss the starting of a rural water district that would bring drinkable, usable water to the residents of the community. Walt Conner, James Radcliff, Don Smith, Junior Everett, and Ted Waggoner were the first board members of the soon to be water district called the Union Rural Water Association, later named Canadian County Water Authority (CCWA).
The Union Rural Water Association was formed to service an area in Canadian County generally bound by Interstate-40 on the North, the South Canadian River on the South, Gregory Road on the East, and the Rock Island Railroad on the West. Each household in the area was mailed a Water Use Data Sheet which would help determine the details of each household. It was even noted if a bathroom was in the dwelling. Also included in the mailing was a Water Use Worksheet which helped each resident give an estimated water usage. For calculation purposes, the worksheet provided the table listed below:
So, a family of 4, with 3 horses and 6 hogs would use an estimated 328 gallons per day.
As 100 meter commitments were needed before water could be provided from Oklahoma City, each meter application included a $10 application fee. A $100 membership fee was required when approved. 134 meter applications were received.
On March 20, 1980, the first meeting of the Canadian County Water Authority was held at Banner School. The Board of Trustees included James Radcliff, Ted Waggoner, Max O’Hara, Gary Roles, and Georgia Ann Rother. Ms. Rother serviced as Trustee/Secretary, and maintained the business office in her home.
In 1990, CCWA purchased a church building in the community of Banner, and converted it to an office building. Mary Culver was hired in 1991 to replace Ms. Rother as Office Manager. Ms. Culver retired in 2017 after 25 years of service. Michelle Shaw was appointed Office Manager in 2018.
In 2022, Canadian County Water Authority moved to our present location at 16900 SW 36th Street. CCWA has 3 part-time employees: Michelle Shaw, Bookkeeping Manager; Ryan Dawson, Line Manager; and Kristi Sambrookes, Office Manager. CCWA currently has 843 memberships and is continuously growing.
