GATESVILLE – For decades, citizens served by the Gatesville water district were using H2O supplied by the Gates County Water Department.

Now the two systems are legally joined as a single district.

At their gathering earlier this month, the Gates County Board of Commissioners met with Town of Gatesville officials to iron out the details of the merger.

“Gatesville is selling the county their system of water lines, taps and meters for all consideration….there will be no exchange of money,” said County Manager Jon Mendenhall. “It’s a win-win for both water systems.

Mendenhall said consolidating the county’s water system and town’s water system will provide better and more efficient service for both parties.

“The county has certain advantages due to our size; Gatesville only has about 175 customers,” he stated.

As far as the condition of Gatesville’s water system, Mendenhall said it was in “good shape.”

“It’s just like the county’s system…routine maintenance is always needed,” he noted.

The County Manager added that water customers on the Gatesville system will stay on their rate and method of payment until the transition is complete.

“We need to notify the town’s current customers to make them aware of billing cycle and rates. Their rates will remain the same until early 2014,” Mendenhall said.

Currently, the Gates County Water Department provides water to approximately 3,700 customers in the county. Water is pumped from three deep wells located on Water Plant Road which are monitored and maintained 24 hours a day.

The Gates County Water Department has three overhead storage tanks consisting of two with a 250,000 gallon capacity and one 400,000 gallon tank.

There is approximately 400 miles of water main and 3,700 meters to service and read, plus 200 fire hydrants. Those numbers will grow with the addition of the Gatesville customers.