Though headquartered in White House, Tennessee, located 22 miles north of Nashville, the White House Utility District serves an area far beyond the city limits, including the cities of Portland, Cross Plains, Orlinda, Springfield, Coopertown, Millersville, Greenbrier, Ridgetop, Goodlettsville, Hendersonville and Gallatin.

Bringing vital water and sewer services to this vast region was no small undertaking in 1956 when the District was created by mandate of the Sumner County Judge. In those early years, when the region was peppered with a moderate population and land primarily devoted to farming, it would have been hard to imagine the now booming suburban community that is characterized by burgeoning growth.

Nevertheless, it was the vision of Jarmon Cranor, who later managed the District for more than 30 years, to develop the largest utility district in Tennessee both in terms of geography covered and customers served. Were it not for those early efforts, many in Robertson and Sumner County would likely not have public water service today given the monumental effort and municipal cooperation that would be required to extend hundreds of miles of pipeline throughout these regions.

While developing a network of pipelines, pumping stations and storage units was challenge enough, the greater test came in finding access to a plentiful water supply. Original plans called for water service using a spring located in White House. It was later determined, though, that this option would not provide the long-term reliability and quantity needed, so planners turned their attention to constructing a treatment plant on picturesque Old Hickory Lake - some 14 miles away in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Though the job of laying pipeline through a sometimes treacherous path to the south was daunting, the decision has proven valuable, with the treatment plant continuing to operate and reliably serve not only 29,000 White House Utility District customers in Tennessee, but also wholesale customers to the north in Kentucky.

The same foresight and leadership that led to public water service in the region, came through again in the 1990s when, under new leadership, the District took on the responsibility to bring public sewer service to portions of Hendersonville and Gallatin. That service continues today and has been vital to the economic and environmental conditions of the region.