HISTORY OF THE PITTSBURGH PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY

1. HISTORY OF THE PITTSBURGH PUBLIC WATER SUPPLY (1802 to present)

2. A Very Brief History of Water Supply 2000 B.C. - Crete Wooden pipe/stone sewers 300 B.C. – Roman Empire Aqueducts and lead plumbing 1200 A.D. - United Kingdom 5.5 km lead pipeline delivered water from Tyburne Brook to London 1664 A.D. - France 25 km Iron pipe from Marly-on-Seine to the Palace of Versailles

3. A Very Brief History of Water Supply 1754 - Bethlehem, PA Bored logs with lead joints 1817 - Philadelphia, PA Cast iron pipe 1829 – London,England 1st Sand Filter (Chelsea Waterworks) 1842-1893 - New York City Croton Water Supply (upland) Tunnels and iron pipe 1913 - Los Angeles Owens Valley Aqueduct Infamous “interbasin transfer”

4. PITTSBURGH 1794 – organized as a Borough 1816 – incorporated as a City

5. Sources of WaterBack in the Day • River and Pond Water- frozen in winter – very warm in summer “When Pittsburghers drink river water – they stir up the mud from the bottom of the bucket before they take a drink”

6. Sources of WaterBack in the Day • Natural Springs-flowing out of the hills Springs at foot of Grant’s Hill utilized from 1780s till 1840 People complained of sulfur smell

7. Sources of WaterBack in the Day • Wells Difficult to rent out a property w/o a well Difficult to dig wells Private well owners reluctant to allow public use

8. Sources of WaterBack in the Day • Rain water gathered in cisterns Undependable supply

9. FIRST CENTURY (emphasis on water quantity)

10. First Public Water System • 1802 – Burgesses authorized construction of 4 public wells 47 ft deep & lined with stone Located on Market St & equipped with hand pumps • Burgesses also authorized compensation for private well owners who allowed public use of their wells

11. First Public Water System • Cost to Borough Paid by tax on residents total cost-$525 Difficult to collect tax

12. Upgrade of Original System • Early debate over upgrades to system focused on private vs public provision of water

13. Upgrade of Original System • By 1820-city outgrew original system Lines of people at public wells People utilized river for water Many residents kept tanks in backyard filled by ‘Water Carters’

14. First Pumped Water System • 1822 - Citizens petitioned council to build a pumped system utilizing river water Petition specified public ownership Greatest opposition - ‘Water Carters’

15. First Pumped Water System • 1828 – First pumped system constructed Supervisory committee – Messers. Fairman, Magee, Denny, Carson, Hayes PS located at foot of Cecil Alley

16. First Pumped Water System • Pumped to 1 million gal reservoir on Grant’s Hill System included: 1 pump, 1 steam boiler, 1 reservoir, & 1.5 miles of pipe Cost - $111,000

17. First Pumped Water System • First 3 yr of operation- Daily pumpage only 40,000 gal/day pumping engine operated only 21 hr/wk Households strictly limited in water use Frequent pipe breaks due to weak mains

18. PITTSBURGH IN THE YEAR 1840. A LITHOGRAPH PRINTED IN NUREMBURG, GERMANY BY C. BERG.

19. 1844 Upgrade • Cecil Alley Pump Station and Grant Hill Reservoir abandoned • Larger pump station built at 11th St & Etna St • 7.5 million gallon reservoir built at Prospect St & Elm St

20. 1844 Upgrade • New pump station contained 2 steam-driven pumps (‘Samson’ & ‘Hercules’) • Combined pump capacity = 9 mgd • Pumped almost continuously for 40 yr • Water bills: $3-$10 per year per household $20-$40 per year per hotel $15-$150 per year per factory

21. 1848 Upgrade • Required by continued expansion of city to eastern hill section & Great Fire of 1845 • Additional reservoir built at Erin St & Bedford Ave (2.7 mil gal capacity) • Additional pump station built to feed new reservoir • System delivered water to 6,600 locations thru 21 miles of pipe

22. 1870 Upgrade • 1867 – 14 wards annexed to city (additional 35,000 people) • Additional pumps added to existing stations • Temporary pump station built at 45th & Allegheny River (pumped <1mgd and used until 1879)

23. 1879 Upgrade • By 1878: population = 106,000 daily pumpage = 15 mgd • 1879 – Highland Res. #1 built (125 mil gal) Brilliant Pump Station constructed Brilliant Hill Res. built (never used) • 1880 - Herron Hill Res & Pump Station built (replaced by larger pump station in 1897)

24. Brilliant Pumping Station (late 1800’s)

25. Carnegie Lake

26. Construction of Herron Hill Reservoir

27. Herron Hill Reservoir

28. 1880’s-1890’s Upgrades • 1880’s – Meters installed • Early 1880’s - small tanks & pump stations built for Garfield & Lincoln neighborhoods • 1903 – Highland #2 Res built (125 mil gal)

29. HAIGHLAND #2 RESERVIOR

30. CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHLAND #2 RESERVIOR

31. HIGHLAND RESERVIOR #2 INFLUENT

32. CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHLAND #2

33. RISING MAIN LEADING TO HIGHLAND #2

34. PIPE LEADING TO HIGHLAND #2 RESERVIOR

35. Consolidation of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & Monongahela Water Systems • 1907 – Pittsburgh & Allegheny Cities combined • 1908 – Pittsburgh purchased Monongahela Water Company

36. Northside Water System • 1849 – Allegheny constructed pump station on River Ave & reservoir on Troy Hill • 1882 - Allegheny built Howard Pump Station(supplied tanks on Spring Hill and Nunnerey Hill from River Ave PS) • 1896 – Allegheny built Montrose PS (cost = $2 mil, capacity = 36mgd) (operated until 1914)

37. Southside Water System • Monongahela Water Company served Southside prior to its annexation to Pgh • 1865 – PS built at Mon River at 29th St Birmingham Res built on 30th St • 1875 – Small PS built at Birmingham Res to service hill section

38. Southside Water System • 1895-1904 – 3 Allentown Tanks built • 1908 – Pgh purchased Mon Water Company • By 1930 – Little of Mon Water System still in service (other than Allentown tanks and distribution mains)

39. Fire Protection • A critical mission for public water supply is fire protection • Earliest houses in Pittsburgh were of log construction and built 30 to 60 ft apart • Later houses were frame and built closer • Initial firefighting method – ‘Bucket Brigade’

40. Fire Protection • 1794 – Eagle Fire Company formed (First elected engineer = John Johnson) City population = 1000 Fire station located on 1st Ave near Chancery Lane Utilized hand-operated pumper called the ‘Eagle’

41. Fire Protection Additional Fire companies organized- 1802 – Allegheny Fire Company 1811 – Vigilant Fire Company 1815 – Neptune Fire Company 1816 – Ordinance requiring leather buckets

42. Fire Protection • 1859 – First steam-driven firepumper (nicknamed the ‘Steam Boat’ by other fire companies) • 1870 – Pittsburgh’s first paid fire company (end of volunteer fire companies)

43. The Steamer of the Pittsburgh Fire Department with the Eagle Company’s horse-drawn engines.

44. Great Fire of 1845 • City population – 22,000 • April 10, 1845 Noon – Sparks from washerwoman’s wash pot ignite stable at Ferry St & 2nd Ave 6pm – Fire was finally burning itself out Smithfield St Bridge blown up by residents

45. Great Fire of 1845 • Losses – 2 deaths 12,000 people homeless approx 1/3 of city destroyed (56 acres) 982 buildings destroyed $6 to $8 million damage • Contributing factor – Lack of water “When the firefighters attached their hoses, they found only a weak sickly stream of muddy water”

46. Great Fire of 1845 “In all this vast space, the very heart of the city, including most of the warehouses of our manu- facturers, and our principal wholesale grocers and commission merchants, there is not one house standing that we know of” Gazette – April 11, 1845

47. BEFORE THE FIRE. A PAINTING MADE IN THE EARLY MONTHS OF 1845 BY GEORGE BREED.

48. THE BURNING OF PITTSBURGH as painted by William Coventry Wall two days after the devastation.

49. THE BURNT OUT CITY A Contemporary painting by William C. Wall

50. First 50 yr of Public Water Supply • Construction of the water system was the largest expenditure made by city (40% of all municipal spending) • Water services not evenly distributed (working class neighborhoods served less than affluent areas) (1872 Water Commission ruling relating pipe size to potential revenue)