On February 27, 1882, a number of Valley View residents applied for the incorporation of the Valley View Water Company, formed for the purpose of “supplying the village of Valley View and the inhabitants thereof with a sufficient supply of clean water.”

    There were twelve original shareholders, all Valley View residents. Pennsylvania Governor Henry M. Hoyt, approved the incorporation on March 10, 1882. (A copy of the application and charter are recorded in the Schuylkill County Recorder of Deeds Office in the Miscellaneous Book No. 16, page 338).

    In the early 1900’s a group of citizens constructed a small spring-fed reservoir and installed a 4” cast iron main into the village of Valley View. This source was not sufficient to fulfill the needs of consumers and a more abundant supply was urgently needed. In 1909 six residents of the village of Hegins decided to organize a water company for the purpose of supplying water to the residents of the township. A corporate charter was approved by the Governor of Pennsylvania for the incorporation of Hegins Water Company on November 30, 1909. Its corporate existence was fixed at 999 years.

    The articles of incorporation provided that the water supply for the system was to originate from artisan wells on a tract of land purchased from N. D. Yoder on the north side of Bear Mountain near the road leading from Hegins to Goodspring, one mile south from the village of Hegins. The new utility was originally intended to supply only the village of Hegins since Valley View already had a water supply system. Probably because of the inadequacy of the latter system, the incorporators of the Hegins Water Company Inc, decided to abandon the artisan well project and instead build a reservoir designed to supply both villages on the Bear (Broad) Mountain. In 1910 a hand-excavated 50,000 gallon reservoir was constructed on the site at an elevation of 950 feet above sea level. This facility was fed partially by a spring and by pumping from a spring and well at the foot of the mountain. Pipes were laid in trenches, excavated by hand, from the reservoir to and through the villages of Valley View and Hegins, from 1910 through 1911.

    Laborers of Italian descent were imported by the incorporators to perform the labor, supplemented by local help. Each laborer was required to dig two shovel lengths (or ten feet) of trench per day, 30 inches wide and 36 to 40 inches deep. The importees were housed in a small shanty near the site of the reservoir. It is reported that a fight developed one evening in the shanty, and one of the laborers was killed, resulting in a court trial and the conviction of the guilty individual.

    As the villages grew and new homes were constructed, the demand for additional water far exceeded the available supply, and in 1925, a one million gallon reservoir was constructed adjacent to the then-existing reservoir. In 1932 a 50,000 gallon impounding reservoir was constructed along Spruce Run at the northern foot of the Bear Mountain to supply the two main reservoirs.

    Local ownership and operation of the company continued until October 31, 1928, when it was acquired by Delaware Valley Utilities Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Water Works, Inc. The new owner continued to improve the water supply and distribution systems, extended mains and services as the demands for water increased with the growth of the community.

    The Hegins Water Company, through its officers and directors, were authorized to negotiate the sale of the water company and its physical assets to the Township of Hegins or to a municipal authority to be organized by the Township of Hegins. The sale was formally consummated on September 17, 1940 and the ownership of the Hegins Water Company, after a brief life of 31 years, became vested in the Hegins Township Authority.

    The Hegins Township Authority was the first municipal authority in Schuylkill County. At that time the Authority was an innovation in Pennsylvania. It was created by the board of Supervisors of Hegins for the specific purpose of acquiring, constructing, improving, operating and maintaining a water supply and distribution system for the consumers within the township and territory adjacent thereto.

    At the inception of the Authority, only one of the members, Ralph A. Schwalm, a local plumber, had any prior experience with the operation and maintenance of a water system. He had been the local manager of the Hegins Water Company, and thus, was familiar with the system. His expertise was invaluable during the early years of the Authority. All of the members, however, soon acquired the necessary knowledge and skill, and each of them, individually and collectively, contributed to the success of the venture.

    Numerous capital additions and improvements have been made to the system during the Authority’s management. The improvements consisted of construction of a new water main to the village of Hegins; erection of a 100,000 gallon water tank; laying a 12-inch main to the Tri-Valley Industrial Park and Valley View reservoir; construction of an impounding reservoir at Hegins; acquisition of 175 acres of additional watershed land; drilling five wells; construction of a new chlorination plant; elimination of dead-end mains; installation of public fire hydrants; and extension of mains and the erection of a new office and equipment storage building.

    In 1988 with the adoption of the Safe Drinking Water Act, Hegins Township Authority, like many other communities, could no longer use surface water without filtration. Surface water included any water from open reservoirs but also water from five springs which the Authority was using at the time. The Authority installed an aluminum dome on the 1.2 million gallon reservoir and automated the chemical feed system. The Authority discontinued use of water from the springs, using water exclusively from three wells. With some design changes, the Authority gained approval to use one of its springs.

    In 1993 Hegins Township Authority entered into an operation and maintenance agreement with Hubley Township Authority to supply water and oversee operation of the Hubley system that was being developed to supply safe drinking water in the villages of Sacramento and Spring Glen.

    In 2001, Hegins Township Authority acquired Hubley Township Authority as it struggled to meet its debt obligation for the installation of its water system. At that time, an additional well was developed in the town of Kushwa to supply water to the increasing needs of the communities.

    The newly formed Hegins-Hubley Authority provides water to both Hegins and Hubley townships to 1,320 residential, commercial and industrial customers. Over 30 miles of mains spread through the townships with 141 fire hydrants providing fire protection throughout the townships served.