Highline Water District

What Highline Water District does

Highline Water District is a municipal water utility organized under Washington State law, providing potable water distribution and related services to residential and commercial customers across portions of seven King County cities — Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila. The district also administers King County Water District No. 54 (WD 54) under a shared operational model that consolidates staff, customer service, and billing infrastructure across both districts, though each retains a separate board and identity. The district is governed by an elected Board of Commissioners and operates from a single headquarters at 23828 30th Ave. S., Kent, WA, with standard Monday–Friday office hours and a 24/7 emergency line.

The district's core product is water distribution, supported by a portfolio of services including annual Consumer Confidence Reports, a Cross Connection Control Program for backflow prevention, customer billing forms, public records request handling under Washington RCW 42.56, and ongoing infrastructure replacement projects (most prominently the North Hill AC Water Main Replacement). Technology infrastructure is conventional for the sector: CivicPlus powers the public-facing website, while payments are processed through PayDici (with Point and Pay as the card processor) for Highline customers and Continental Utility Solutions (CUSI) for WD 54 customers. Distribution channels include online, phone, in-person, mail, and bank electronic funds transfer. There are no AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platforms, or API products disclosed.

Revenue is generated through publicly posted water rates and charges; no revenue figure is publicly disclosed. Operating expenses are funded through rates rather than external equity. The district shows no venture funding, no M&A activity, no acquisitions, and no disclosed leadership outside its elected commissioners. Strategic activity is operational and incremental in nature — annual CCR publication, infrastructure renewal, and payment-channel expansion — rather than transformative or growth-oriented. The complete absence of disclosed financials, combined with the headcount figure (1–10) that appears to be a data categorization artifact rather than full operational staffing, materially limits financial visibility despite the district's clearly active operational status.

Name

Highline Water District

Legal name

Highline Water District, WA

Website

https://highlinewater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Highline Water District is a Washington State municipal water utility providing potable water distribution and billing services to residential and commercial customers across portions of seven King County cities, also administering Water District No. 54.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Utility Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (924110)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Third-Party Water Retailing & Managed Billing Services (outsourced billing, white-label retail operations) (EUANAIAL), Field Operations & Repair Services (Emergency Response, Leak Repair, Crew Dispatch) (EUANAKAL)

Keywords

• Water utility services
• Potable water distribution
• Public water supply
• Water infrastructure management
• Residential water billing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Highline Water District is a municipal water utility that distributes potable water to residential customers across portions of King County, Washington (Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila). The district also administers the related King County Water District No. 54 and provides supporting services such as online and in-person bill payment, customer forms, annual Consumer Confidence Reports, public records handling, cross-connection/backflow testing, and water main infrastructure replacement projects.

Product overview

Highline Water District provides essential water utility services to customers in the Highline area of King County, Washington. The organization operates two districts: Highline Water District and King County Water District No. 54 (WD 54). The core service is water distribution with supporting services including online bill payment through integrated platforms (PayDici for Highline, CUSI for WD 54), customer forms for various service requests, public records requests, and annual Consumer Confidence Reports documenting water quality. The district also manages infrastructure projects and a cross-connection control program to maintain water supply safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Water District No. 54: King County Water District No. 54 is administered through the Highline Water District, with shared billing and operations but a separate board and public records process.

Products and services

• Water Distribution Services Core municipal water utility service providing potable water distribution to customers in the Highline area (Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila), including infrastructure maintenance and management.
• Online Bill Payment Digital payment platform enabling Highline customers to pay water bills online via credit card, debit card, or bank account, with options for one-time or automatic recurring payments.
• WD 54 Bill Payment Separate online payment system for King County Water District No. 54 customers, processed through the Continental Utility Solutions (CUSI) platform with credit card, debit card, or electronic check options.
• Customer Forms Library Downloadable forms for Highline customers covering service requests and adjustments such as damages claims, fill dirt requests, hydrant meter rental, leak adjustments, ownership changes, tenant billing authorization, and senior/disabled rate reductions.
• Public Records Requests Formal process for the public to request district records in compliance with Washington State Public Records Act (RCW 42.56) and District Resolution 25-1-15C, with submission via email, fax, or mail.
• Consumer Confidence Reports Annual water quality reports for Highline Water District and WD 54, providing details on water safety and quality through the end of each calendar year.
• Cross Connection Control Program Program including backflow assembly testing designed to prevent contamination of the public water supply, available to customers in the Highline service area.
• Construction and Infrastructure Updates Public-facing information on water main replacement projects and infrastructure improvements, including the North Hill AC Water Main Replacement project.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Water District No. 54 (WD 54)coreOthersRelated water district operating in King County. Highline Water District shares staff and administrative resources with WD 54. Consumer Confidence Reports are available for both districts. Highline Water District manages some WD 54 billing and payment processing.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Public Utilities: Municipal utility serving Seattle with water, wastewater, solid waste, and drainage services. Comparable as a Pacific Northwest regulated water provider but operates at a substantially larger scale and broader service portfolio than Highline.
• Cascade Water Alliance: Water wholesale agency in King County that delivers treated water to member districts including Highline-area customers. Comparable as a regional water supply counterpart but operates upstream of Highline as a wholesaler rather than retailer.

Regional players

• Soos Creek Water & Sewer District: Water and sewer district serving southern King County communities near Highline's territory. Comparable as a suburban King County special-purpose district with retail water service and infrastructure replacement programs, operating in close geographic proximity but not directly competitive with Highline's franchise area.
• Lake Whatcom Water & Sewer District: Water and sewer district serving Whatcom County with retail water service, customer billing, and infrastructure management. Comparable as a Washington-state special-purpose water district operating under similar commissioner governance, though located in a different region of the state.
• City of Everett Water Utility: Municipal water division serving the City of Everett and surrounding areas in Snohomish County with similar treatment, distribution, and billing functions. Comparable in model to Highline but geographically distinct, serving a different Puget Sound service area.

Direct peers

• King County Water District No. 54: Adjacent King County water district administered through Highline Water District, sharing staff, billing, and back-office functions. It is the closest operational comparable because Highline literally manages its billing and customer service operations.
• Sammamish Plateau Water: Independent water district serving the Sammamish Plateau in King County with potable water distribution, customer service, and infrastructure replacement. Comparable to Highline as a suburban King County retail water utility of similar size and governance structure.
• Tacoma Water: Municipal water utility serving Tacoma and parts of Pierce County with drinking water treatment, distribution, and customer billing. Comparable to Highline as a Washington-state potable water distributor with a regulated retail rate structure and residential customer base.
• Alderwood Water & Wastewater District: Water and wastewater district serving south Snohomish County with similar district governance, retail water distribution, customer billing, and capital improvement programs. Highly comparable in operating model and scale to Highline Water District.

Others

• American Water Works Association (AWWA) member districts: Industry association to which Highline belongs. Comparable as the umbrella ecosystem in which Highline participates for standards, training, and policy advocacy; not a competitor but a relevant peer network for benchmarking utility practices.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highline-water-district-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highline Water District