Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Waterford is an unincorporated community in central Waterford Township, Washington County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45786. It is located on State Route 339 across the Muskingum River from the village of Beverly, slightly below where Wolf Creek meets the Muskingum.