Water System Brief History Click here to return to the History page. When Detroit was founded in 1701, the Detroit River provided an unlimited supply of pure, wholesome water to the inhabitants. It was a practice of early colonists to dip their buckets in the river and carry home their daily supply of water. As the population increased, a more efficient distribution method was needed. In 1824, the territorial legislature authorized Peter Berthelet to install a pump on a wharf where residents could draw their own water. Although it was better than no system at all, Berthelet’s pump created more problems than it solved. This prompted the Common Council to pass an ordinance in 1825 granting Jacob S. Farrand, the father of a future member of the Board of Water Commissioners, the exclusive right to supply the city with water. A short time later, Farrand sold his franchise to Rufus Wells, a pump maker from New York. Wells’ system was up and running by 1827. With it came the city’s first system of water mains, which were made from wooden logs. During that first year, Detroiters were charged a uniform rate of $10 per family per year. Wells’ reorganized his operation in 1830, forming The Hydraulic Company. While the new company had big plans, it could not keep up with the growing demands of an ever-increasing population. Consequently, the city purchased the system in 1836 in order to provide adequate management. In 1852, the Common Council formed a five-member Board of Trustees to operate the water system and provide it with hands-on management, something not possible under Council control with its multiple responsibilities. The following year, 1853, the state legislature amended the City Charter, in the process transforming the Board of Trustees into a Board of Water Commissioners (BOWC). Special powers and authority enabled them to expand operations for the increasing demand. The first-city-owned reservoir was put into operation in 1857. As the city and surrounding areas grew, a new intake, pumping facilities, and reservoirs were added. In 1871, the Department introduced public drinking fountains to the city based on a suggestion of Moses W. Field, a prominent citizen. This period also marked the first use of water meters, intended as a way to reduce waste. A new 56-acre site - outside of Detroit between Jefferson and the river - was purchased in 1873. This is the location of our present Water Works Park Plant, which began operating in 1879. A second pumping station was put into operation by 1914 to deal with the city’s exploding population. A crippling typhoid epidemic in 1912 convinced many that the water was unsafe to drink. Beginning in 1913, calcium hypochlorite was used to disinfect the water supply. A more effective disinfectant, liquid chlorine, was first used in 1916. The automobile industry dramatically changed the city by 1920. Detroit was expanding phenomenally, and the population soared to nearly one million; creating unprecedented demand for water from public, private, and industrial sectors of the city. By the mid-1920s, the Department had outgrown its business offices in a three-story building known as "Old Fireman’s Hall." Purchased in 1886, the building was the BOWC’s first permanent home and was used by the Board until 1928. At that time, the Department moved into its present headquarters, a state-of-the-art, 23-story skyscraper located on a triangular site bound by Randolph, Farmer and Bates. Anticipating the need for an increased water supply, the BOWC authorized construction of the Springwells Water Treatment Plant in 1924. Because of the economic squeeze brought on by the "Great Depression," the plant was not placed into full operation until 1935. Also in 1924, the Board authorized construction of a new river intake. This intake would later feed the Springwells and Northeast Water Treatment Plants, in addition to Water Works Park. Detroit rebounded from the Depression with renewed vigor, characterized by rapid development of its suburbs, and increasing requests for water services that severely taxed the existing system. Newly emerging suburban communities discovered it more economically advantageous to tie into Detroit’s existing water system than to build their own treatment plants. This development led directly to the construction of the Northeast Water Treatment Plant to supply water to customers in northeast Detroit and the northern suburbs. Completion of this plant in 1956 enabled the Department to service more than two-million people in 45 communities. Additions to the Springwells Plant were completed in 1959. New raw water conduits, settling basins, a filter building, reservoir, and offices were built. Also, several low and high lift pumps were replaced with larger units. Together these improvements greatly increased the system’s capacity to meet the demands of its customers. The last major technological change came in 1961, when the coal-powered, steam-fed, highlift pumps at Water Works Park were electrified. The Southwest Water Treatment Plant became operational in 1964. It increased Detroit’s total system capacity to more than one billion gallons per day. Construction was controlled by the Wayne County Road Commission, after which the plant was transferred to the Department in April through a lease-purchase agreement. In 1966, the BOWC acted on its long-held ambition of establishing a new water intake in Lake Huron. The Lake Huron Water Treatment Plant began pumping water in 1974, increasing system capacity to more than 1.5 billion gallons per day. To deal with the increasing demands of a growing population, the plant was designed with expansion in mind. Currently, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department pumps an average of 675 million gallons per day to more than four million people in 126 communities within its service area. Due to DWSD’s pioneering efforts and progressive thinking, citizens of southeastern Michigan will continue to enjoy an economical, abundant supply of the highest quality drinking water in the nation. Click here to return to the History page.
Please direct your comments or questions regarding this site to the Public Affairs Division at (313) 964-9460 or e-mail us. All content, artwork, and information included herein is ©2007 Detroit Water & Sewerage Department Home, Customer Info, About DWSD, Announcements, Projects, Facilities, History, Procurement, Links