Interesting article regarding the city's water system (from the Ithaca Journal):
Then & Now: A century later, creek still supplies Ithaca's drinking water
By Mary Williams •Guest Columnist • June 18, 2010, 6:01 pm
Do you know where your tap water originates? As a City of Ithaca resident just more than 100 years ago, your water probably would have come from Buttermilk or Six Mile Creeks, and you would have had little assurance of its quality.
In fact, water quality was blamed for the local typhoid epidemic in January 1903. Creeks were used as disposal sites for tanneries and livestock waste, and were convenient locations for outhouses along their banks. At the time, plans had been ongoing for a new water supply system for the city, and some work had been undertaken. Public health concerns caused officials to speed up the project.
Several local water bodies were considered, including Enfield and Fall Creeks, and Dryden and Cayuga Lakes. In the end, original project engineer Emil Kuichling chose Six Mile Creek, as it was "the most available source," according to an Ithaca Journal report. From its headwaters in the towns of Caroline and Dryden to the Cayuga Lake inlet, the Six Mile Creek watershed spans about 50 square miles. The creek, originally called Teegastoweas by the Cayuga people, was named by early settlers for the distance between two landmark trail crossings. The creek was used to power saw mills along its banks -- at least 16 in total -- as well as at least one grist mill, the Van Natta Mill on Giles Street in Ithaca.
The plan was ambitious, controversial and expensive, costing $250,000 in turn-of-the-century currency. The project was to involve building a 90-foot-high dam, laying 24-inch iron pipes for nearly a mile (4,300 feet) along the creek and through the forest, and connecting the new reservoir (via the water pumping station at the former Van Natta Mill) to a soon-to-be-built modern water treatment facility on Water Street. Civil engineer Gardner Stewart Williams, Cornell professor of experimental hydraulics from 1898 until 1904 and head of the university's Hydraulics Laboratory, was in charge of the project. He designed and led the building of the water-filtration plant, one of the first in the country, and the unique dome dam, the first of its kind.
From start to finish, the construction occurred in remarkable time, especially considering that materials were brought down to the creek by horse and cart. Clear-cutting at the reservoir site had begun in May 1902, and the dam (reduced to 30 feet) was under way by September. Ironically, the typhoid outbreak was traced to unhygienic conditions in the creek bed during the building of the dam, which contaminated the existing water supply. But by March of 1903, the Purification Works was under construction, and by August the first filtered Six Mile Creek water from the new treatment plant traveled to the city's homes and businesses, and the supply from Buttermilk was closed off.
The Journal's special August 1903 supplement announced that the project was complete, declaring, "the completion of the large dam and filtration plant in Six Mile Creek marks a new era in the local history of Ithaca."
A second dam, 60 feet high, and the resulting Potters Falls Reservoir, with a 9,400-foot pipe to the filtration plant, were in place by 1911, and many changes have been made to the filtration plant over the years.
After more than 100 years, Six Mile Creek, home to great blue herons, snapping turtles, mink and other wildlife continues to supply us with drinking water. We will see what changes the next 100 years bring -- and hope that we will still be enjoying the creek in 2110. In addition to the likelihood of the city's current water treatment plant being replaced in coming years, citizen volunteers are testing the water quality of the creek through the Community Science Institute. For more information, see
http://communityscience.org
The 30-foot dam on Six Mile Creek, completed in 1903, was the first dome dam ever built. Civil engineer and Cornell professor Gardner Stewart Williams originally designed a 90-foot dam, but was forced to revise his plan at the request of the Ithaca Water Works Company. (Photo provided)
This photo shows workers in the Six Mile Creek bed during the building of the 60-foot Potters Falls Dam. Water was diverted to allow for construction. The dam, completed in 1911, created an additional reservoir for the city water supply. (Photo provided)
The link:
http://www.theithacajournal.com/arti...drinking+water