In 1965 there was a county-wide need for a community water service. The greater part of Adams County had poor water quality and some had no running water at all. Several community-minded citizens banded together to form Adams County Water Association (ACWA) which had its beginning on December 22, 1965 with 1,200 customers. The first business was conducted in a back room of a local automobile dealership, but the office was soon moved into a single-wide trailer near Washington, Mississippi.

The original water system construction began in 1965 with USDA RD loans. It consisted of two iron removal water treatment plants. One 500 gpm located on Foster Mound road and another 500 gpm plant on Kingston Road. The original system had two elevated storage tanks, a 250,000 gallon ground storage tank, and one pressure tank. Water mains were installed throughout a large portion of Adams County.

Due to salt water contamination into the two Kingston water wells in 1972, Adams County Water drilled two new wells

The customer base had grown to nearly 2,000 by the end of the 70s, increasing the demand, so more infrastructure was added, and in 1976 the Leigh-Knight Building was constructed. By the end of the 1980s, the Association had 3,350 customers and ACWA added several new water plants and water mains. A new water plant including an elevated storage tank and two 500 gpm wells were constructed on Kaiser Lake Road. This allowed ACWA to abandon the iron removal plant on Foster Mound Road. Another water treatment plant was constructed on Greenfield Road with a 500 gpm water well. A 500 gpm water well and treatment plant on Old Hwy 84 #1 was added. A 400 gpm water plant in Fenwick was build. Also, a 500 gpm water plant was constructed on Lower Woodville Road. The latter part of the 1990s, ACWA began to see a lot of growth, and by the middle 2000s served approximately 5,500 customers.

In 2002, the Association developed a long-range plan, and a $7 million construction project began. This aggressive venture added larger mains and four new elevated storage tanks throughout the county.

Then in 2008, Adams County Water was fortunate to obtain a long term contract to furnish water to the 2,600 bed prison facility and also received a 1.3 million dollar grant to construct a 1,000 gpm well and 350,000 elevated storage tank. The prison’s water connect to ACWA is equivalent to 1,200 connections. With this addition, the MS Department of Health calculates our association to the equivalent of 7,300 active water connections.

By 2010, Adams County Water began to be recognized in the state as a model system. Our Association placed six times in the coveted MS State Drinking Water Contest with the first place title in 2000. We retired in 2007 after winning First Place twice. In 2009, ACWA was nominated for the five-state EPA Region IV Excellence Award. In March 2010, the Association was presented the "Utilities Helping Utilities Award" at the Mississippi Rural Water Annual Conference. In 2011, we were recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture for maintaining a "Highly Successful and Sustainable Water System and Demonstrating Exceptional Management", and received "USDA Water System of the Year" in 2017.

In March of 2011, construction on a $1.3 million operations center began. This project was the conclusion of the twenty-year plan that began in 2002. We are very proud to have completed our twenty-year goal eleven years ahead of schedule. 

Adams County Water was approached in 2016 by the Cannonsburg-Church Hill Water Association (CCWA) located in Jefferson County. CCWA requested for ACWA to consider a possible transfer of their assets and 330 connections over to our association. After a thorough review, ACWA agreed to the transfer and finalized the acquisition of the CCWA water certificated area along with the CCWA water plant, tank, and infrastructure. This transfer of assets allowed ACWA to continue growth in southwest Mississippi even though the population has decreased in Adams County.

In 2020, ACWA began a 1.6 million dollar water well and treatment plant project. This project consist of a Class D treatment system and a 1,500 gpm well. This endeavor was financed through a loan from the United States Department of Agriculture.

The Association serves a population of approximately 20,000 with over 6,100 active water connections, with customers located in Adams, Franklin, and Jefferson counties making it one of the largest water systems in Mississippi.

The current water infrastructure consist of the following:

10 elevated storage tanks, 12 water wells, and hundreds miles of water lines.

Adams County Water Association, Inc. is a 501 (c) 12 non-profit water system owned by its members.