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33 stories matching sewag

  1. Post-Fire Sanitation: The Fight for a Healthy Seattle

    Following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, local physicians and concerned citizens publicly debated the city’s primitive sewer systems, warning that decaying waste in the 'burnt district' threatened a public health crisis.

    Jul 17, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  2. City Sewerage System Fails Residents

    High water levels turn a poorly installed sewer line into a neighborhood health hazard in South Tacoma.

    Jan 20, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  3. The East Side Sewer Crisis

    Stagnant sewage on the tide flats threatens to shutter East Side factories, sparking a desperate plea for infrastructure relief.

    Aug 24, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  4. The Quest for a Clean City

    A proposed 'Liernur System' could turn Seattle's sewage into marketable fertilizer while solving a desperate public health crisis.

    Feb 25, 1885Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Strange But True

  5. The New Council Takes On the Sewage in the River

    Spokane Falls' freshly seated city council moves against the habit of dumping garbage and sewage into the river above the falls — and against boys loitering in saloons.

    Apr 12, 1884Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyCity Hall · Exclusion & Resistance

  6. The Great Sewer Struggle of 1899

    Over 100 residents in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Seattle petitioned the city to stop the dumping of raw sewage into the local lakes.

    Jul 26, 1899The Seattle StarLake Union, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

  7. The Milk Shed Built Over the Sewage

    A Seattle weekly prints a photograph of the city's largest dairy depot — a ramshackle shed on pilings over the tide flats — and dares the health inspectors to explain why nothing is being done.

    Oct 1, 1902The RanchSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  8. The Dangerous Sewer Project at Rainier and Bash

    In a desperate bid for political patronage before the election, the City Council authorized a controversial sewer project that threatens the city's water supply at Lake Washington.

    Mar 3, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · City Hall

  9. Seattle’s Rotten Garbage Problem

    A health official warns that the city's sewage scow is falling apart, proposing a permanent incinerator.

    May 13, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  10. The Anatomy of a Public Works Disaster

    Engineering testimony reveals how cheap, porous bricks and massive inefficiency turned city sewer projects into money pits.

    Feb 4, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWest Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · Scandal

  11. The Engineering Romance of the Lake Union Sewer

    City Engineer Thomson details the immense technical and financial struggle to build the infrastructure of a growing Seattle.

    Jan 30, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  12. The Battle for School Sanitation

    A bitter feud erupts between Seattle's school board and the board of health over the safety of 'dry closet' systems in public classrooms.

    Apr 6, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerFremont, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

  13. The Price of Progress in Yakima

    As North Yakima prepares for a $60,000 sewage infrastructure project, local editors call for a new, 'shrewd' city council to manage the growth.

    Apr 2, 1891The Yakima HeraldYakima, Yakima CountyCity Hall

  14. City Council Clashes Over Polluted Water Reports

    A health officer's report alleging city water contamination sparks a heated confrontation with a city commissioner.

    Apr 29, 1909The Tacoma TimesCity Hall, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  15. The Hidden Cost of Tacoma’s Water Crisis

    While public officials downplay safety, local physicians warn that Clover Creek is contaminated by sewage and fueling a typhoid outbreak.

    Feb 4, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall · Scandal

  16. Sewage Crisis Plagues Tacoma's East Side

    The filling of tide flats has caused a sewer to back up, creating a public health nightmare for hundreds of factory workers.

    Aug 16, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

  17. Seattle's Sanitation Crisis

    Dr. Sparling warns that improper sewage and garbage handling create a public health menace, risking disease in the rapidly growing city.

    Oct 5, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  18. An Investigation into the Filth at Clover Creek

    A reporter takes a trip to the Parkland outskirts to document the raw sewage, pigsties, and animal waste contaminating the city's water source.

    Sep 3, 1904The Tacoma TimesParkland, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  19. The Civic Tug-of-War Over Sewer Expansion

    Seattle weighs a massive bond measure for sewers, raising questions about accountability and who benefits from public infrastructure.

    Apr 16, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  20. The City’s Dirty Secret: A Plea for Seattle’s Health

    In 1870, a local editorial warns that Seattle’s lack of sewage infrastructure is poisoning the community with disease, urging citizens to prioritize public health over fiscal caution.

    Sep 28, 1876The Daily IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall

  21. The Parkland College Sewage Standoff

    Despite pressure from the Public Works Commissioner, the president of Parkland College refuses to move a cesspool, claiming it poses no threat to city water.

    Feb 16, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  22. City's Broken Promises Over Water Infrastructure

    Contractors are suing Tacoma for thousands after the city abandoned plans for the Maplewood Springs pumping station in favor of new, less efficient well projects.

    Apr 29, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  23. Is Tacoma’s Water Supply Making People Sick?

    A reporter’s investigation reveals that farm runoff and sewage are flowing directly into the city's filtration system.

    Feb 2, 1904The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

  24. The City That Voted to Grow: Seattle's 1892 Infrastructure Bond Bonanza

    In a massive, city-wide referendum, Seattle residents went to the polls in March 1892 to approve a sweeping expansion of water, sewer, and municipal works that literally laid the foundation for the modern city.

    Feb 28, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerYesler Avenue & 5th Avenue, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

  25. The Perils of Seattle's Cherry Street

    In 1877, a local editor called out the city for the dangerous sidewalks and 'savory' sewage runoff plaguing one of Seattle’s most elegant residential streets.

    Jan 11, 1877The Daily IntelligencerFourth Street, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

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