When Pagadian became a city in 1969, NAWASA turned over the water system to the local government which the latter accepted and subsequently operated. The water system was known as the Pagadian City Waterworks. On September 6, 1976, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Pagadian, then headed by the Hon. Vice Mayor Platoon Urro, passed SP Resolution No. 54, creating the Pagadian City Water District (PCWD) in accordance with PD 198, as amended. Hon. Romeo B. Tan was one of the authors of SP Resolution No. 54.
PCWD has inherited from the city government the water system. The turned-over water system was dilapidated and the Water District badly needed to rehabilitate it before it could be made viably operational again. It took the Water District sometime to set-up the new utility, both organizationally and technically, and full operation was only started in 1978 after the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) granted PCWD a loan for the rehabilitation and improvement of the water system.
As of December 31, 1978, the Water District carried in its books the following figures:
| Number of Service Connections | 328 |
| Total Revenues | Php 321,568 (Php 26,797/monthly average) |
| Utility Plant in Service (fixed assets) | Php 538,037 |
| Loans (with LWUA) | Php 100,469 |
The utility plant in service included the facilities (spring boxes, pipes, pumps, etc.) turned over by the city government to the Water District, which assets were valued at P 483,365.
The turned-over assets, however, were gradually paid by PCWD through the in-lieu share scheme, and full payment was made in 1993.
The original members of the Board of Directors were:
Director |
Sector Represented |
| Engr. Numeriano Pineda | Civic |
| Atty. Achiles Peralta | Professional |
| Mr. Edgardo Ortega | Business |
| Mr. Pablo Tumala, Jr. | Education |
| Ms. Mercedes Sy Egco | Women |
Today, the Board of Directors is composed of :
Director |
Sector Represented |
| Mr. Jeffrey C. Sumampong (Chairman) | Civic |
| Engr. Carlos R. Madarang, Jr. | Business |
| Dr. Nede A. Bayawa, EdD (Secretary) | Education |
| Ms. Aida A. Hofileña, RN (Treasurer) | Women |
| Engr. Edgar S. Revelo, M.E, C.E | Professional |
The first General Manager was Engr. Lucio Daguman, Jr. There were changes in the command from GM Daguman to GM Jose Cabato, Jr. in 1978. LWUA took over PCWD’s management in 1986-87 and assigned as Interim General Managers Engr. Virgilio Cabatuan and Engr. Edgardo Tolones on a short succession. The take-over was the result of PCWD’s internal problems which caused the resignation of GM Cabato.
In 1988, LWUA decided to relinquish its interim management of the Water District. Subsequently, the Board of Directors appointed on May 16, 1988 GM Edilberto E. Yorong to the top management post, who retired from service on January 31, 2017. On February 1, 2017, the Board of Directors appointed the current General Manager, Engr. Pericles C. Sollano, as replacement of GM Yorong.
PCWD, just like other water districts, was considered by the government as government-owned-or-controlled corporation (GOCC) by virtue of the Supreme Court Ruling promulgated on September 13, 1991 in the celebrated case of Davao City Water District, et.al, versus Civil Service Commission and Commission on Audit. But unlike other GOCCs, it is not provided with any government capital. It is currently manned by 139 personnel (63 regular employees and 76 Job Order workers) and has 19,664 active service connections and 2,968 inactive service connections as of December 18, 2017. Its service area covers 39 barangays out of 54 barangays in Pagadian City.