The population of Northwest Arkansas has grown significantly during the past 50 years. In 1960 there were fewer than 100,000 people living in Washington and Benton counties. Today, the combined population of the two counties is approaching half a million people. Of that number, about 420,000 people get their drinking water from Beaver Lake. Did you know that Beaver Lake is the top lake serving the most people with drinking water in the state of Arkansas? Much of the growth in Northwest Arkansas has occurred within the boundaries of Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville. In 1973, the average demand for water from the four cities was about 15 million gallons per day (mgd). Today, demand is more than 42 mgd. The District serves about 300,000 people in the four customer cities and the surrounding areas. That's one in 10 Arkansans!

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