Topics Water Supply

Water History: Rebirth of the Rivers

Image shows three bottles of water, one clear, one dark and one with sediment floating in it.

Bottled vs. Tap in 1906

Queen Lane Water Works (1894)

Torresdale Water Works (1907)

Belmont Works (1870)

Roxborough Works (1869)

The Water Works of the City of Philadelphia

Oak Lane Reservoir pipeline, 1904

The Water and Drainage History of Philadelphia

Color drawing of an elevated water reservoir on the banks of a river with green land shown on either bank

Isometrical View of Fairmount Water Works, 1843

William Penn balks at drinking the "mixed drink" offered him: Schuylkill water, mixed with pollution from the upstream sources named. Editorial cartoon by Fred Morgan, Philadelphia Inquirer, April 6, 1899. One of a series of cartoons drawn by Morgan protesting the state of the city's drinking water and trying to encourage the passage of legislation authorizing the construction of a water filtration system.

Half a Century of Clean Water

Black-and-white image of a table with numbers in columns

Bacteria in Delaware River, Torresdale Filters, 1913

PWD water tech at the Philly Home Show, 1960

PWD water tech at the Philly Home Show, 1960 (detail)