The Syracuse Water Works

Abstract

The City of Syracuse was settled soon after the Revolutionary War and became a City in 1847 when the population was about 21,000. There was much agitation for a public water supply in Syracuse as early as 1825 but it was not until 1841 that a string of logs was laid from springs in the eastern part of the city to the business section. Considerable mention is made in local history of the first reservoir, a structure some 6 feet by 8 feet by 12 feet. Later on cisterns were placed about every block along the main strings of logs and at times of fires hand operated engines boosted the flow from cistern to cistern toward the fire. There was often great endeavor to flood the cistern ahead of a pump thus indicating superior pumping ability. Early in the 40's a private Water Company began to function and continued until bought out by the City in 1892. This company supplied spring water from three large springs for about fifteen years when it was necessary to supplement them by water from other sources. In 1864 they built a large 170,000,000 gallon reservoir on Onondaga Hill, four miles southwest of the city. It had a watershed of only two square miles and all summer long the streams were dry and the reservoir dropped so low that the decaying vegetation gave the water bad odors and taste. About 1870 they built a pumping plant on Onondaga Creek, which flows through the City, and a 54,000,000 gallon reservoir known as Wilkinson Reservoir. This reservoir was 110 feet above the City. The water was too hard and was reported as impure. Some ten to fifteen years later there developed a strong sentiment for a better water supply and J. J. R. Croes of Boston was engaged to study and report on the best available supply. He found eleven possible sources and selected Skaneateles Lake as the most desirable, in fact, as very desirable. The other sources were Lake Ontario, 38 miles away and 150 feet lower than Syracuse; Oneida Lake 12 miles distant and 30 feet below; Otisco, Cazenovia