Documentary History of American Water-works

Woburn

Woburn, Massachusetts

Woburn was incorporated as a town in 1642 and as a city in 1888.

The town built a water system that pumped water into an elevated reservoir with a steam engine. The system began service in October, 1873.

Water is provided by wells and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, and is distributed by the City of Woburn

References
1871 An act to supply the town of Woburn with pure water. May 17, 1871.

1882 Woburn, from Engineering News 9:155 (May 13, 1882)

1882 Woburn, from "The Water-Supply of Certain Cities and Towns of the United States," by Walter G. Elliot, C. E., Ph. D.

1888 "Woburn," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.

1890 "Woburn," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.

1891 "Woburn," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.

1892 1642-1892. Legends of Woburn, now first written and preserved in collected form ... to which is added a chrono-indexical history of Woburn, by Parker Lindall Converse.
Page 138: Just before the Woburn Water Works went into operation, a little girl was inquiring of her father, "What those pipes in the kitchen were for." She was told that "They were put there to get water from the Water Works." She thought a moment, and then asked, "Papa, why don't they have Milk Works?"

1897 "Woburn," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.

1909 "Woburn Water Works Improvements," Fire and Water Engineering 45:283 (May 26, 1909) | Also here |

1910 Annual Report of the Water Department of the City of Woburn for the year 1910.

1915 Annual Report of the Water Division of the City of Woburn for the year 1915.

1919 "Financial Troubles of Woburn Water Works," Fire and Water Engineering 65:189 (January 22, 1919)
The new administration of Woburn, Mass., has been met by a serious problem in the finances of the water department, judging by the utterances of Superintendent of Public Works Macksey and Mayor Gray at a City Council meeting, when they told the aldermen that the water department faced a deficit of $20,000 during the coming year. Mayor Gray and Superintendent Macksey, in urging the repeal of the order reducing the charges for metered water services from $14 to $7, declared that they sought to save the department from a serious crisis which would result in a higher tax rate and complete abandonment of the water main extensions.

1986 Anderson v. Cryovac, Inc., 805 F.2d 1, November 5, 1986, 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. | Also see the Wikipedia page |