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.
West Valley is a former census-designated place (CDP) in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The area has been annexed by the city of Yakima. The population was 10,433 at the 2000 census. Based on per capita income, West Valley ranks 76th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked.