Subjects Water Supply

Pipes, distribution mains, transmission mains, filtration plants, pumping stations, and all other appurtenances, either above or underground, that relate to providing drinking water to homes and businesses. In tandem with sewer systems, properly-designed water supply systems are what make densely-populated urban areas possible.

Two bottles of water from a river, one dark with pollution and one clear after filtration

Water Before and After Roxborough

Two black-and-white photographs of pipeline construction on State Road. Depicted are a group of people, trees, buildings, a fire hydrant and a grid of boards over the pipes.

State Road triple pipeline construction, 1904

Eleven men in a work gang plug leaks in a tunnel, the Torresdale Conduit

Torresdale Conduit work gang, 1906

Black-and-white photograph showing the completed Upper Roxborough Filter system. Vaulted concrete ceiling with beds of filter sand.

Upper Roxborough Filter Beds Complete, 1903

1902 photo of Upper Roxborough Filter beds under construction

Upper Roxborough Filter Bed Construction, 1902

Jonval Turbines at New Mill House, 1870

A list of rules governing the sanitary maintenance of privy vaults in Philadelphia in 1915

Be Thankful You Don’t Live in Pre-Flush Philly

The Day Fairmount Dam Vanished