Seattle’s Quest for Reliable Water
How a local reservoir project aims to secure a steady water supply for a growing city.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The patrons of the Spring Hill Water Company in Seattle are now using an average of 750,000 gallons of water per day. This water is pumped from a level of 35 feet below the surface of Lake Washington and forced through iron pipes into the city. In order to always have an abundant supply of water on hand, in case of a great conflagration in town, or accident to the pumps or pipes, the company purchased a block of land in Central Seattle—the highest point of land between the lake and the Sound—on which they are engaged in building a reservoir which, when completed, will be 18 feet deep, 140 feet square, and have a total capacity of 2,500,000 gallons. The work of excavation is of a difficult character, owing to the peculiar formation of the earth. After reaching the surface, a hard-pan was struck which is impervious to the plow, and which requires blasting before it can be removed. The reservoir will be 310 feet above the level of the tide water. During the difficulties to contend with, the work progresses slowly.
“The work of excavation is of a difficult character, owing to the peculiar formation of the earth.”
Early Seattle infrastructure was a frantic race against the city's own explosive growth and the constant threat of fire. Today, our water system remains a marvel of engineering, but the challenges of maintaining that infrastructure against geological reality and climate change echo the same fundamental civic anxiety.
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