About Your Water Service
Highlands Utility District purchases water from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), which sources its water from two pristine, protected mountain sources: the Cedar River Watershed and the South Fork Tolt River Watershed. Our water comes primarily from the Tolt River Watershed.
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Treated water from Seattle Public Utilities is stored, managed, and delivered to The Highlands through 37,000 lineal feet of water mains.
Water Quality
Water quality begins at the source: both the Cedar River and Tolt Watersheds are carefully monitored, patrolled, and human activities are limited to minimize impacts.
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Source water is pumped to two state-of-the-art treatment plants that utilize ozonation and ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection to kill disease-causing bacteria, giardia and cryptosporidium. The water is then fluoridated to help prevent tooth decay, controlled with alkalinity to reduce pipe corrosion, and chlorinated.
Annual Water Quality Reports
About Your Surface/Storm Water Collection Service
When it rains, water that runs over hard surfaces picks up whatever might be deposited there. Because surface water collected in The Highlands flows directly into Puget Sound, we urge residents to be thoughtful when using water outdoors.
Oil and grease from vehicles, chemicals used in outdoor washing and lawn irrigation, even overflow from pools and water features can contribute to pollution in Puget Sound.
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In order to address this in a more environmentally proactive manner, The Highlands began rebuilding the surface water/stormwater system in early 2000; with a portion of the system transferred over to Highlands Sewer District in December 2004.
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In 2019, the remaining surface water/stormwater system was transferred to the Sewer District (now known as Highlands Utility District) for full oversight and management.
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Your surface water and stormwater are collected and conveyed through 24,200 lineal feet of mains.
About Your Sanitary Sewer Service
With the formation of Highlands Sewer District in 1971 and the subsequent creation of The Highlands Sanitary Sewer System, the District entered into a joint use agreement with Ronald Wastewater District (now the City of Shoreline).
This agreement allows sewage and wastewater to be transported from The Highlands community via ​24,000 lineal feet of sanitary sewer pipes, through the City of Shoreline's collection system, for eventual treatment and disposal by the City of Edmonds Wastewater Treatment Plant.
About Highlands Utility District
The Highlands community's drinking water, surface / storm water, and sanitary sewer system has undergone quite a bit of evolution since development of the community began in the early 1900s.
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In 1971, The Highlands community formed their own Highlands Sewer District to manage the sanitary sewer system. In the early 2000s, after a significant rebuild of drinking water and stormwater infrastructure, The Highlands sold part of the stormwater system to the sewer district in 2004.
In 2019, the remaining stormwater system was transferred to the Sewer District, followed by the transfer of the domestic water system in 2023, and the District was subsequently renamed as the Highlands Utility District.
Consolidating drinking water, stormwater, and sanitary sewer under a single District entity made sound operational and financial sense for The Highlands in terms of shared staff, equipment, and processes, while enabling a more holistic and comprehensive overview of these three utilities. It also enables the District to apply for more affordable bond financing as a municipal entity, and be insured under a pool of other water/sewer districts.
Commissioners and Staff
Highlands Utility District is governed by three-member, non-partisan, voter-elected Board of Commissioners who each serve for a term of 6 years. The Board holds the District Administrator responsible for planning, organizing, directing and controlling the day to day operations, business administration, and regulatory compliance functions of the District. In addition, the Board is responsible for determining District policy, which is adopted through resolution.
Dave Hanower
Commissioner
Mr. Hanower began living in The Highlands community in 2008, and was first appointed to the District's Board of Commissioners in 2021. Mr. Hanower was elected to a full term in 2023. In his volunteer work for The Highlands and the District, he has enjoyed learning more about our community.
First Elected: 2021
Current Term Expires:
December 2029
John Harris
Commissioner
As a resident of The Highlands for over 33 years, Mr. Harris enjoys the challenges involved in maintaining our community's infrastructure. Along with his fellow commissioners, Utility District Administrator, and community members, his goal is to ensure that these utility systems are providing peak performance within the best interest of the community.
First Elected: 2002
Current Term Expires:
December 2027
Karl D'Ambrosio
Commissioner
Mr. D'Ambrosio became a resident of The Highlands in 2011, when he returned to the US with his family. Mr. D'Ambrosio is a degreed mechanical engineer and served in the US Navy as an officer aboard nuclear submarines. Mr. D'Ambrosio enjoys putting his systems engineering knowledge to use supporting the District's technical initiatives and operations.
Appointed: 2017
First Elected: 2019
Current Term Expires:
December 2025
Paul Konrady, P.E.
District Administrator
Mr. Konrady has been working on the utility systems for The Highlands since 2002, when he was brought on as the Program Manager to oversee the extensive rebuild of the community's drinking water and surface/stormwater infrastructure. In 2014, Paul agreed to manage the Highlands Sewer District. When the new Highlands Utility District was formed in 2023, the Commissioners unanimously appointed Paul as District Administrator.
Nate Burkemoore
Utility Operator
For the past 14 years, Nathan Burkemoore has been the friendly face behind The Highlands utilities and landscape, serving as both Utility District Operator and Landscape Supervisor. On any given day, his duties can range from road maintenance and reservation forest work, to routine water, sanitary sewer, and storm drain maintenance, operating the District's Vactor Truck, and even responding to emergencies. He is a certified water operator with the Washington State Department of Health, and a state certified cross connection control specialist. When not on the job, Nate and his wife Stephanie enjoy spending time at home with their young son and daughter in Ballard.
181 NW Highland Drive
The Highlands
Shoreline, WA 98177
206-362-2100 - Extension 103
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