"Finally, in 1899, under the leadership of newly-elected Mayor Samuel H. Ashbridge, consensus was reached. The Mayor appointed a new water commission, which recommended filtration as the best alternative. In 1900 Councils finally acted, appropriating funds to build five filtration plants and construct the water mains necessary to deliver filtered water from both rivers to all parts of the City." - from Drinking Water and Public Health in 19th Century Philadelphia, an exhibit staged at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, November 2009-February 2010.