45th Anniversary

Logo celebrating 45 years of Highlands Ranch Water, featuring a blue water drop and a gold banner stating "YEARS."

2026 marks Highlands Ranch Water’s 45th anniversary. For more than four decades, our leadership has guided us with wisdom as we’ve supported the growth of the master-planned community of Highlands Ranch. We have evolved from serving a rapidly growing community to one that has now reached build-out, all while planning for the future to ensure the long-term sustainability of our most vital resource: water.

Construction scene with workers, machinery, and a concrete structure frame in a dirt-filled area under a clear blue sky.
Original water treatment plant built in 1981.
Construction workers on a steel structure with large blue tanks on a site. Dusty ground and equipment are visible.
Original water treatment plant built in 1981.
A construction site featuring a partially built concrete structure, workers, and piles of dirt under a clear blue sky.
Original water treatment plant built in 1981.
A construction site with machinery and workers, surrounded by bare land and mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.
Original water treatment plant built in 1981.
A large, calm water reservoir surrounded by land and mountains under a clear sky.
Original water treatment plant built in 1981.
A construction site with a circular excavation, a parked vehicle, and two people discussing amidst a mountainous landscape.
Zone 2 reservoir tank, 1981.
A worker on a large, circular, rusty tank, with mountains and fields in the background.
Zone 2 reservoir tank, 1981.
A large industrial tank being maintained, with a worker using a lift to access the wall.
Zone 2 reservoir tank, 1981.
Three pickup trucks parked next to a large white cylindrical tank on a clear day.
Zone 2 reservoir tank, 1981.
A wastewater treatment facility with buildings and structures, with mountains in the background.
Marcy Gulch Wastewater Treatment Plant built in 1981.
A construction site featuring circular tanks, concrete walls, and a crane, set against a backdrop of mountains and clear sky.
Marcy Gulch Wastewater Treatment Plant built in 1981.
Construction site with concrete structures and wooden scaffolding, surrounded by hills and open land under a clear blue sky.
Marcy Gulch Wastewater Treatment Plant built in 1981.
A round, rusty manhole cover labeled "WATER MVWSD" on a concrete sidewalk.
Manhole in front of the district office building bore the original MVWSD (Mission Viejo Water and Sanitation District) markings.
Details about the filming of James Michener's "Centennial" in October 1978 in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, by Mission Viejo Company.
Construction scene with workers, machinery, and a concrete structure frame in a dirt-filled area under a clear blue sky.
Construction workers on a steel structure with large blue tanks on a site. Dusty ground and equipment are visible.
A construction site featuring a partially built concrete structure, workers, and piles of dirt under a clear blue sky.
A construction site with machinery and workers, surrounded by bare land and mountains in the background under a cloudy sky.
A large, calm water reservoir surrounded by land and mountains under a clear sky.
A construction site with a circular excavation, a parked vehicle, and two people discussing amidst a mountainous landscape.
A worker on a large, circular, rusty tank, with mountains and fields in the background.
A large industrial tank being maintained, with a worker using a lift to access the wall.
Three pickup trucks parked next to a large white cylindrical tank on a clear day.
A wastewater treatment facility with buildings and structures, with mountains in the background.
A construction site featuring circular tanks, concrete walls, and a crane, set against a backdrop of mountains and clear sky.
Construction site with concrete structures and wooden scaffolding, surrounded by hills and open land under a clear blue sky.
A round, rusty manhole cover labeled "WATER MVWSD" on a concrete sidewalk.
Details about the filming of James Michener's "Centennial" in October 1978 in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, by Mission Viejo Company.
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