After the ROC government moved to Taiwan, these associations continued to operate and develop. Originally established to manage water for agriculture, the Chianan Irrigation Association borrowed money to build the Tsengwen Reservoir in the 1960s.
國民政府遷台後，農田水利會延續體制繼續發展，早先以農業用水管理為主，其中嘉南水利會更在民國五十年代貸款興建曾文水庫；民國七十年代以後，由於工業、都市快速發展，為配合政府政策，水利會功能擴展到民生、工業用水的調配。