Le-Ax Water District derives its name from Lee and Alexander Townships in western Athens County. It began in 1968 as the Le-Ax Water Distribution Corporation, created to provide a dependable supply of drinking water to the Village of Albany and approximately 250 families in the surrounding rural area.
Le-Ax’s original system was developed in coordination with the Lake Snowden project, which provided flood control, recreation and a source of drinking water. Beginning in 1969 and continuing through the 1970s, Le-Ax constructed its water treatment and distribution system. This early investment laid the foundation for the District’s growth, and in 1980, Le-Ax restructured to become a water district under Chapter 6119 of the Ohio Revised Code.
After periods of drought, including one that was extreme, the District made the decision to find a more dependable water source with greater capacity than Lake Snowden. In 1997, Le-Ax constructed a new water treatment plant and located a new collector well in the Hocking River aquifer, transitioning the District from surface water to groundwater. A second collector well was brought online in 2010, providing additional capacity and a redundant water source.
From its beginning as a small rural water system, Le-Ax has grown into a public water district serving an estimated 17,200 people through more than 7,200 customer connections across portions of Athens, Hocking, Meigs and Vinton counties. Although the system has changed considerably, its original purpose remains the same: providing safe, reliable drinking water to the communities it serves.