West Sound

West Sound Water Association (WSWA) is a membership-owned water utility serving a community of 38 members in the southwest portion of Orcas Island in San Juan County, Washington. Established in 1988, our association serves a number of full- and part-time residents as well as the Kingfish InnWest Sound MarinaSeaDoc Society, and Orcas Island Yacht Club. Use this site to learn more about our association—members, real estate professionals and the community are encouraged to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Buying/selling property and construction

How do I transfer a membership when I sell or purchase property with a WSWA membership?

If you are selling or have purchased a parcel that has a WSWA membership associated with it, please contact the Board of Directors. This notification should be done when the property is listed. The board will provide the membership transfer procedure to the selling member, to realtors and to escrow personnel. A $100 membership transfer fee is assessed to the purchaser at the time of transfer.

 

How can I get a certificate of water availability to submit to the county for a new building permit?

Please submit your request to the WSWA Board of Directors. Normal requests for certificates associated with the first single-family residence on a member’s parcel where no plumbed buildings already exist should be approved expeditiously. Requests for certificates to build a secondary residence, guest house, or other plumbed outbuilding will be reviewed against our current policies and availability of ERU capacity. The Board of Directors reserves the right to evaluate each request individually.

 

How do I sign up for a new membership if I live in West Sound and don’t already have a membership?

WSWA does not currently have any additional memberships available. Should the association expand the system in the future, additional memberships will first be made available to anyone with whom WSWA has a current legal obligation, then current members in accordance with our bylaws, and then offered to community members living in our service area. Please contact us to express interest in a membership.

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