Documentary History of American Water-works

Springvale

Springvale, Maine

Springvale is a village in Maine that is now part of the City of Sanford.

The Springvale Aqueduct Company was organized in 1876 and built a small gravity system. The company was incorporated in 1878.

The Butler Spring Water Company was organized in 1879 and built another small system with a reservoir.

The Sanford Light and Water Company was incorporated in 1887 and built a system that served the town of Sanford. The company was authorized to buy the two existing systems in 1903, but did not do so. Their name was changed to the Sanford Water Company in 1908.

The Sanford Water District was incorporated in 1929 and bought the existing systems.

Water in Springvale is supplied by the Sanford Water District.

References
1878 An act to incorporate the Springvale Aqueduct Company. February 19, 1878.

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

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

1889 Fire and Water (April 27, 1889)
The Butler Spring Water Company has been organized at Springvale, Me., to supply that and neighboring towns with water. Supply will be secured from springs in that locality. J. A. Butler is president, F. A. Clark, secretary, and K. F. Davenport, superintendent.

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

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

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

1901 An act to legalize the present pipe system of the Butler Spring Water Company. March 22, 1901.

1901 The History of Sanford, Maine, 1661-1900, by Edwin Emery
Pages 327-328: Springvale is supplied by two water companies, the Springvale Aqueduct Company, and the Butler Spring Water Company. The former had its beginnings in the summer of 1876, when Samuel D. Tebbets, John A. Dennett, Moses Dennett, and Stephen M. Hersom formed themselves into a company, and laid a pipe from Littletleld's pond, a mile and a quarter north of Springvale, and east of the Mousam, down to and through the river, and up to Main Street, thus bringing water of an excellent quality into the village. The Springvale Aqueduct Company was incorporated in 1878, and the enterprise has always proved a success. In September, 1890, the company laid a six-inch iron main from Littlefield's pond. C. H. Pierce is President of the corporation at the present time. The Butler Spring Water Company was organized April 17, 1889, with a capital of $25,000. Irving A. Butler was elected president, and has since held that office. This company takes water from the spring which gave the village its name. The water from both sources of supply is of remarkable purity.

1903 An act to amend the charter of the Sanford Light and Water Company and to consolidate with the Springvale Aqueduct Company and Butler Spring Water Company. March 17, 1903.

1910 Report of the State Board of Health of the State of Maine for the four years ending December 31, 1909
Page 211: Sanford. The Sanford Water Company takes its water supply from a system of driven wells and a dug well. Of the former there are 16, ranging from 20 to 30 feet in depth. The driven wells are located in the flood plain of the Mousam River, and the water is found in a bed of gravel, which is overlain by a bed of fine sand and silt. These wells were driven in 1905, up to which time the dug well had been able to supply the demand.
This water has usually been turbid when drawn from the taps, and it deposits considerable iron on standing. This condition is not to be noticed at the wells, nor does the water there contain any such amount of iron as does the tap water, thus showing that the iron comes from the pipes. As in the case of the Rumford Falls supply this condition is caused by the presence of large amounts of carbon dioxide in the well water, which acts on the iron pipes, dissolving large amounts of iron from them. The resulting dirty appearance, and the general unfitness of the water for domestic use led to the installation of an aerator as at Rumford Falls. The result of this has been to give a water free from carbon dioxide and one that is clear and colorless. The only difference in the resulting water at this town and Rumford Falls is one of color, due to the presence of some iron in the water as it comes from the wells at the latter place. This condition does not exist at Sanford and the resulting water is colorless.
The water, after aeration, is pumped into a 500,000 gallon reservoir, and the working pressure of 90 pounds is derived
in part from this and in part from the pumps at the pumping station. This plant has been of large enough capacity to meet
all fire demands without bypassing the aerator, and so there has been no recurrence of the original trouble since the installation of the aerator.
Page 217: Springvale. This village is supplied by the Springvale Aqueduct Company, which take their supply from Littlefields Pond. This pond is located about a mile from the village, and is at such height above the town that the distribution of the water is by gravity. The pond is about 30 acres in extent, and is surrounded in part by farm lands and in part by pastures. It is almost entirely fed by springs, the only inlet to the pond being from a bog at the north end. No return to the acid condition of the winter of 1906 has been noticed, although the ammonia in the water has remained high.

1929 An act to incorporate the Sanford Water District. March 15, 1929

2011 Guide to the Central Maine Power Company Archival Collection, 1853-2001, by Chuck Rand, Maine Historical Society
Page 35: Sanford Water Company (Subgroup 124: 1930-1932) was organized as the Sanford Light and Water Company on September 30, 1887. Its name was changed to Sanford Water Company in 1908.

Digital Commons @ UMaine, annual reports for Maine municipalities

Records of the Springvale Aqueduct Company 1872-1887 are held by the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum