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.
Peshastin is a small unincorporated community in Chelan County, Washington, United States. The community's roots are found in the 'Peshastin Ditch' dug by pioneers beginning in 1889. This ditch was an important part of the overall irrigation system in the area, delivering water to the orchards on the slopes above Cashmere. The town was first platted in the early 1890s by two brothers, J. Q. Gilbert and A. C Gilbert. It is also noted on an 1895 map of the area, indicating it was in existence by then. Today, Peshastin is still a small community with one elementary school and a library.