The water system of Bangued consisting of the spring impoundment box, a reservoir located atop Casamata Hill, transmission and distribution system, was originally constructed in 1919 by the Bureau of Public Works  and managed by the municipal government.  The system operates by gravity and it draws water from Lusuac Spring which is located at Lusuac, Penarrubia, Abra, approximately 8 km. from Bangued.  The original system initially served the Poblacion of Bangued and in 1953, the system expanded to serve the municipality of Penarrubia and other barangays.

      In 1973, realizing the significant contribution of a safe, reliable and adequate supply of potable water to the socio-economic development of the country, the government thru the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 198 otherwise known as the “Provincial  Water Utilities Act of 1973”, adopted a nationwide program of providing the water requirements of the populace wherever practically feasible and acceptable, creating water districts both urban and rural together with the corresponding Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) charged with the responsibility of their development.

     Thus, on January 18, 1974, the Bangued Water District (BWD) was formed by virtue of Resolution No. 161 passed by the Municipal Council of Bangued. With its formation, the Bangued Water District acquired the ownership and management of the entire water system from the municipal government.  On August 24, 1976, LWUA issued the Conditional Certificate of Conformance (CCC) No. 028 to the BWD.  At onset, the District had 868 service connections covering Bangued and Penarrubia.

      In 1981, the LWUA implemented an Immediate Improvement Project (IIP) which greatly improved the system and the services of the District and in 1990, LWUA through its Operation and Maintenance Program (OMAP) laid a 3^rd transmission line following the established roadway connecting to the existing distribution line which further boost the water supply.

     The year 1996 saw a change in management and likewise, the name of the Bangued Water District was changed to Metro Bangued Water District.

      In 1998, thru the initiative of GM Leanida A. Balbin and the supportive Board of Directors coupled with the endorsement and support of the Local Officials of the Province, the District was a recipient of a grant from the Presidential Social Fund (PSF) thru the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) in the amount of P1.7M which was utilized for the rehabilitation of the MBWD’s existing water system servicing Dangdangla, Bacsil, Lingtan, Patucannay including the extension of distribution line servicing Macray.  Some of these barangays had water service for only 2-3 hours a day at dawn, some had water on a scheduled basis and Macray had no water service from the District.  The project commenced on April 4, 2000 and was successfully completed on October 13, 2000.  The recipient barangays now enjoy a 24-hour water service.

      In 2003, an expansion project was extended to the Municipality of Pidigan.  The MBWD supply the water needs of Pidigan through a transmission line tapped from the main line of MBWD at the junction road to Penarrubia.  The distribution network includes about 3.7 km of pipelines with diameters ranging from 50-mm to 100mm.

      In 2006, the District expands its service area to the municipality of Tayum.  The LGU of Tayum and the Metro Bangued Water District (MBWD) agreed for the integration of the proposed water system of Tayum to the water system of the Water District.

      To date, the franchise area of MBWD includes the municipalities of Bangued, Peñarrubia, Pidigan and Tayum which covers and estimated cost land area of 25,428 hectares (has). As per the 2010 PSA census, the total population in the Province of Abra is 234,000 while the combined total population of the MBWD franchise area is 75,847 which is 32.4 percent of the total provincial population.

      After 41 years, the Metro Bangued Water District is still COMMITTED TO SERVE BY PROVIDING SAFE, POTABLE AND ADEQUATE WATER SUPPLY TO ITS POPULACE.  From its 868 service connections in 1976, the MBWD now has 9,161 active service connections as of October 2017.

       The District has computerized its billing and accounting system, implemented self funded projects and is current in  the payment of its loan amortization to LWUA.  These of course, were attained through the concerted effort of the MBWD family who is behind the success of the Metro Bangued Water District.