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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 5 |
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 8 |
| 1862 | 6 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 12 |
| 1876 | 122 |
| 1877 | 92 |
| 1878 | 78 |
| 1879 | 6 |
| 1880 | 14 |
| 1882 | 19 |
| 1883 | 125 |
| 1884 | 65 |
| 1885 | 96 |
| 1886 | 47 |
| 1887 | 57 |
| 1888 | 47 |
| 1889 | 205 |
| 1890 | 43 |
| 1891 | 166 |
| 1892 | 357 |
| 1893 | 337 |
| 1894 | 236 |
| 1895 | 307 |
| 1897 | 8 |
| 1898 | 25 |
| 1899 | 61 |
| 1900 | 6 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 133 |
| 1904 | 130 |
| 1905 | 33 |
| 1907 | 10 |
| 1908 | 50 |
| 1909 | 160 |
| 1910 | 34 |
| 1911 | 16 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 29 |
| 1915 | 35 |
| 1916 | 80 |
| 1917 | 30 |
| 1918 | 8 |
| 1919 | 2 |
| 1923 | 21 |
| 1924 | 20 |
| 1925 | 8 |
166 stories matching water
- The Water Company Wins the Right to Shut It Off
The state supreme court backs the Olympia Light Power Company's authority to cut off water service when a hotel falls behind on its rent.
- Seattle’s Water Gamble: A Public Utility Success Story
While critics argued over bond debt and construction costs in 1891, the city's new water system proved to be an instant and lucrative revenue stream for the young municipality.
- Seattle’s First Water Wars
When freezing pipes and open faucets threatened the city’s water pressure, the superintendent didn't mince words.
- Aberdeen’s Big Water Bond
A massive $65,000 bond issue passes, securing the city's future water supply and fueling a local land rush.
- The Water Monopoly Fight
A local property owner challenges Aberdeen's city council over water rights, accusing officials of steering the public toward an expensive, pre-owned system for their own profit.
- The Water Rights Dispute That Reshaped Kittitas County
A landmark court decision in Kittitas County clarifies the complex laws of water appropriation for arid Washington lands.
- The Ahtanum Water Rights Dispute
Tensions mount between Yakima settlers and the reservation as water rights over the Ahtanum and Yakima rivers move toward potential litigation.
- The Healing Lake That Hid a Walking Fish
On the Columbia plateau near Spokane lies a strange saline lake with no inlet and no outlet — credited with curing rheumatism, foaming like soap in the wind, and home to an axolotl that fooled the naturalists.
- The Tides That Move the Wells of Ocosta
Early settlers discover a natural phenomenon where groundwater levels mimic the Pacific tides.
- Aberdeen’s New Water System Takes Shape
City council approves major expenditure to secure water rights and bond financing for local infrastructure.
- The Struggle for Water in a Growing Town
As Aberdeen expands, the city council faces a mounting pressure to secure a reliable water supply before the dry season hits.
- The Price of Infrastructure
The Aberdeen City Council finalizes a massive payout and establishes a new water superintendent position, marking the city's rapid shift toward municipal utility control.
- The Water Wars: Why Seattle Should Settle with Benezette Williams
As the city prepares to sue a private developer for rights to its own water and sewer plans, this editorial argues that compromise is cheaper than litigation—and essential for public health.
- The Water Miracle in the Moxee
After expensive drilling, a new artesian well turns arid sagebrush into a potential oasis for Yakima settlers.
- Ilwaco Cannerymen Fight the Introduction of Catfish
Local industry experts warn that catfish will destroy the salmon population in Washington waters.
- The Treble-Decker Trestle That Would Bring Water to Selah
John A. Stone reports the main trestle of the Selah ditch is framed—260 feet long and 56 feet high—with water promised by the end of October and a watermelon-cutting to mark the finish.
- Aberdeen's Water Wars: A Town at Odds
When the city council held a public meeting at the Acme Opera House to rally support against a legal challenge to the town's water works, the bitter internal feuds of 1891 spilled out for all to see.
- Engineers Complete Survey for Lake Washington Ship Canal
In 1891, engineers surveyed the path for a ship canal to connect Lake Washington to the Sound, envisioning a future where vessels could cleanse their hulls of barnacles in fresh water and double Seattle's commercial capacity.
- The Desert Blooms: Bringing Irrigation to the Selah Valley
A ambitious engineering effort to bring water to 50,000 acres of arid volcanic ash soil promises to transform the North Yakima region into a premier agricultural hub.
- The North End Industrial Boom
A new stone quarry and improved infrastructure are transforming the north end of Aberdeen.
- The Irrigation Boom and the Search for Water
Investors in North Yakima report successful artesian well drilling, fueling a real estate rush and regional transformation.
- The Struggle for Water Rights on the Yakima Reservation
Agent Jay Lynch warns that unmanaged irrigation is drying up tribal streams and threatening future agricultural viability for both the reservation and the surrounding valley.
- City's Tide Lands Protected from Speculators
Federal land officials reject attempts to claim Seattle harbor water as private property using questionable land scrip.
- The Great Butter Robbery of West Street
A bold waterfront heist ends with an unlikely intervention by an old gentleman, a flight across the city, and a classic retort from a local thief.
- The Unsinkable Cigar Barges of the Sound
Innovation in the Washington coal trade: will unique, cigar-shaped steel barges soon conquer the rough waters of the Pacific?