The Erie County Water Authority is an independent public benefit corporation created in 1949 to ensure safe and plentiful water supply for the people of Erie County, Pa. It operates as a self-sustaining business enterprise and pays for various operating expenses out of revenues generated from the sale of water to its residential, commercial and municipal customers. The authority maintains a quality control program and invests in substantial financial resources to improve its treatment facilities and a water quality laboratory. Its water meets the standards for water quality mandated by federal, state and local government regulations. The Erie County Water Authority annually delivers more than 25 billion gallons of water to over 500,000 consumers throughout western New York. It sells bulk volumes of clean water to individual municipalities. The authority also supplies treated water to contracted municipalities and is responsible for billing, meter reading and maintenance.