This organisation was established in 1910 pursuant to Statute No. 43 of 1909. The Act consolidated water supply, sewerage and drainage schemes under one administration, directly responsible to the Minister of Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage.

Between August 1912 to April 1918 the Department was administered by and integrated with the Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Department (MWSS & DD). The MWSS & DD's status as a separate Department was not re-established until July 1921.

In October 1925 the Engineering staff of the Department come once more under the direct supervision of the Public Works Department's Chief Engineer. There was thereafter a pooling of staff resources, and accommodation between the two Departments. Three water supply, sewerage and drainage districts were gazetted as constituting the Metropolitan Area in January 1910. These districts were Perth, Claremont and Fremantle where water supply and sewerage schemes already existed. In 1914 Guildford, Midland and Armadale were also included in the Metropolitan Area.

In September 1963 the Liberal Government introduced a Metropolitan Water Supply Sewerage and Drainage Amendment Bill with the intention of substituting Board for Departmental control. The Act was promulgated in November 1963 and a new administrative structure established by July 1964.

The Metropolitan Water Supply Sewerage & Drainage Board was established on the 1 July 1964 to operate as a Board with borrowing powers similar to other State owned enterprises. The Board initially consisted of seven members, all viceregal appointees.

The Authority came into existence as from the 1 July 1982 pursuant to Statute 36 of 1982. This Act was the result of a legislative review conducted since 1978 with the intention of gradual replacement of obsolete provisions of the 1909 legislation (No. 43 of 1909).

The new legislation provided that "subject to the Minister, the Authority shall be administered by a Board of Management to be known as the Metropolitan Water Board". The Board consisted of seven viceregal appointees three of whom were Authority employees, and four, external appointees. The Chairman was appointed by the Governor for five years. The property, powers, functions (etc) of the former Board were transferred to the Authority by the new Act.

Following the election of a Labor Government in February 1983, a steering committee was appointed to oversee the merger of the Authority and related water activities of the Public Works Department. The new omnibus organisation (i.e. the Water Authority of Western Australia) received legislative basis through the Water Authority Act of 1984. The new Authority commenced operations as from 1 July 1985.

This Board operated during the nine months in 1909 that elapsed between the proclamation of two Acts concerning the administration of Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage. The 1904 legislation was proclaimed in April 1909 to provide for ready access to private land in order to construct sewerage mains. The proclamation occurred in the shadow of an improved draft of a Bill which eventually became law in November 1909. The new Bill - The Metropolitan Water Supply Sewerage and Drainage Bill - originally proposed a return to Board administration free of Ministerial control. However, Parliament thought otherwise with due result that the Bill was amended to provide for the establishment of a Department with effect from January 1910.

Statute No. 19 of 1896 established the Metropolitan Water Works Board, comprising four persons. Three were appointed by the Governor and the fourth was the Mayor of Perth, Chairman Edward Keane. The Colonial Government purchased the water scheme from a private company, The City of Perth Water Works Company, 1891-1896. It was the Board's duty to pay to the Colonial Treasurer 220,000 pounds for the scheme.

In August 1898 a Parliamentary Select Committee was established to investigate the Board's activities. The Committee recommended two months later that control of the water works should be in the hands of a Government Department, the Engineer-in-Chief on the City of Perth, but not the present Board. The Board's members resigned. A new Board was appointed by the Premier under the chairmanship of William Traylen.

An amendment to the Waterworks Act in 1899 gave the Board power to cut off water for non-payment of rates. Following further controversey over the discovery of structural faults in the Mt. Eliza Reservoir, a second Parliamentary Select Committee of Inquiry was established. This Committee reported in 1902 that the Board's control of water works should not continue.

In 1904 the James Ministry introduced and enacted the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Act. This legislation combined the activities of the three existing water supply schemes for Perth, Fremantle and Claremont under one Board. The latter was also to be responsible for sewerage disposal in those areas. The legislation was not proclaimed however, until April 1909.

In the period following the demise of the Traylen Board, and until April 1909, the Minister of Works was responsible for water supply and sewerage. This control was exercised through an amendment to the 1896 Act (No. 31 of 1904) passed towards the end of 1904 session. Ministerial control meant that the Public Works Department carried out the Board's functions after October 1904. It's main achievement was the first stage completion, (1906 to 1912) of a metropolitan sewerage scheme. Until the proclamation of the 1904 Act, work on this scheme continued under the construction provisions of the Public Works Act 1902.