When Ames Lake was discovered In the 1950s and 1960s, and the Eastside became more populated, people started living in vacation cabins for longer periods of time. In the Ames Lake/Tolt Hill area, more houses were being built.

The notion of having an area-wide water system sprang up in the mid-1960s. Some residents in the Ames Lake area wanted to form a local water district. They petitioned the King County Board of Commissioners. Before then, early residents obtained non potable water from outside sources, or had their own wells drilled. But drilling for water on Tolt Hill was always a “hit or miss” proposition and over the years, it caused a number of “dry wells.”

However, some residents were opposed to the formation o f the water district. They believed the area’s population didn’t justify it and a system of using wells was questionable. Those residents were told their properties could be deleted from the proposed district.

Ames Lake Water Association (ALWA) was born

Later, residents evaluated the creation of a private water company and a water utility cooperative. By the late 1960s, they decided to form a water utility cooperative.

In April 1969, the Ames Lake Water Association (ALWA) was born and a Board of Trustees was elected. They created bylaws and Articles of Incorporation, and engaged an attorney and an engineer. They also applied for a construction loan from the Farmers Home Administration. It was obtained in December of 1969. Thus, the Ames Lake Water Association started as a federally funded rural water cooperative.

Planning system construction

The system’s planning and design continued through 1969, and by February 1970,  construction began. The general contrator was A & J Utility Contractors. The engineering firm of Lee Johnson & Associates, based in Everett, administered the construction contract. In early 1971, the construction was completed.

During the project, original ALWA Board members Jim Hickman and Fred Cartozian represented the Association. Some residents, now members of the Association, pitched in to dig ditches and helped install the first water mains.

Water service for some members began in May 1970. At that time, the Association had 87 members. The new system service area included the Ames Lake Vista and Ridgehaven areas . One of the original two wells, the Vista Well No. 1, was located adjacent to the current Association office.