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Town of Waterville Library Garbage Utilities Public Utilities District Swimming Pool Recycle Center |
http://ncrl.org/waterville.htm http://ncrl.org/waterville.htm http://goo.gl/0gQud http://www.ci.waterville.wa.us/services/water_sewer.html http://www.ci.waterville.wa.us/services/pud_services.html http://www.ci.waterville.wa.us/services/swimming_pool.html http://www.ci.waterville.wa.us/services/recycle_center.html |
The Town of Waterville was incorporated in 1890. The Town is located on U.S. Highway 2, situated atop the Waterville Plateau at an elevation of 2,622 feet (approximately 1/2 mile above sea level).
Waterville is a small (one square mile), friendly, rural agricultural center amidst the Douglas County farming region with a population of 1,170 (2005). The Town provides retail, groceries, pharmacy, hotel, restaurants, and a host of other services to both the local citizens and a major part of unincorporated Douglas County.
The farming industry, particularly dry land wheat farming, is at the heart of the economic base. The Town is located in the center of the Waterville plateau, an area that produces wheat yields averaging 40-70 bushels per acre.
Waterville has been the Douglas County seat since 1887. The beautiful historic Courthouse houses the county Clerk, Assessor, Auditor, Treasurer and Superior Court.
Population: 1,175 (as of April 2008)
Climate: Four seasons, cold winters with lots of snow, sunny springs, warm summers and mild falls.
Elevation: 2,622 feet
Economy: Agriculture is the primary economic base, particularly dry land wheat.
County Seat: The Town of Waterville is the county seat of Douglas County.
| Electrical Rates | Daily Charge | $0.296 | KWH Charge | $0.0208 |
| Demand Charge (Monthly) | $1.20/KW greater than 50 KW |
| Minimum Charge | $7.80/mo. Plus $3.40/KW>30 |
In the spring of 1885, A. T. Green traveled west from Davenport and purchased Stephen Boise’s land claim. It is said that A. T. Greene had always wanted to be the founder of a town, and with his newly acquired land he had his chance. After his land was surveyed, Mr. Greene donated a 40-acre tract of land for his ambitious townsite. The abundant water from his hand-dug well made Greene’s land a popular destination for early settlers and provided the name for his town. It would not be long before Greene could secure Waterville as the county seat.
The first attempt to remove Okanogan’s title as county seat was made by the community of Douglas in 1885. The proposal was voted down by a two-vote majority. However, it was around this time that Waterville’s friends took to the Democratic convention in Okanogan the infamous “barrel of water.” The barrel, filled by Waterville’s well, was conclusive proof that the new town had an abundant water supply. In 1886, an overwhelming vote made Waterville the county seat for Douglas County. It has been recorded that a sheriff had to be sent in to remove documents from the county auditor, who had refused to move his office from Okanogan to Waterville.
The communities of Douglas County are scattered throughout the high-altitude Waterville Plateau amongst scenic desert, desert lakes, and wide-open vistas of free-range wheatfields, as well as along the eastern banks of the majestic Columbia River.