A little bit of Summertown Utility District History
January 24, 2024
Just a little history lesson for the younger generations or those that have relocated to this area.
The Sumnertown Utility District was formed, in large part, due to a drought situation very similar to what we are experiencing now.
Traditionally all homes in the area had wells - many of which were hand-dug and “manual” where you lowered a bucket into the well and pulled it back up. Other, later wells had electric pumps. Many homes had no indoor plumbing.
In the mid 1950s, there were several droughts, which caused most wells to go dry. At that point, a public water service began to be explored by several community leaders.
The SUD system began around 1963 with the construction of the smaller tank (50k gallons) and had a single well servicing around 300 meters/customers by the late 1960s and no full time employees.
The system continued to grow and the larger Hwy 20 tank was constructed atound 1974.
The system has continued to grow, adding the Freedom Rd tank and currently has approximately 1,900 meters/customers.
If anyone in the community has any other information (or corrections to this information), please share it !
