Documentary History of American Water-works

Waterville

Waterville, Maine

Waterville was first settled abut 1750 and incorporated as a city in 1888.

The Waterville Aqueduct Company was incorporated in Edwin Noyes, Samuel Appleton, Lucius Allen, Purmot Hill, Lemuel Stilson, and Enoch Marshall "for the purpose of building, furnishing and maintaining an aqueduct in Ticonic village in the town of Waterville." This company built a system that was operating as late as 1881 according to water sales to the town of Waterville.

The Taconic Aqueduct Company sold water to the town starting in 1882, but nothing else is known about this system, which could be a successor to the earlier Waterville Aqueduct Company.

The Waterville Water Company was incorporated in 1881 by Samuel Appleton, S. I. Abbott, I. S. Bangs, F. E. Heath, Nathaniel Meader, John Ware, E. F. Webb, W. B. Arnold, G. A. Phillips and J. W. Philbrick "for the purpose of conveying to the town of Waterville, a supply of pure water for domestic and municipal purposes, including the extinguishment of fires."

The company and the town negotiated until 1887, when voters approved a contract with the company. The company then proceed to build a system, which was sold to the Maine Water Company in 1891.

The Kennebec Water District was incorporated in 1899 to supply water to the city of Waterville and the Fairfield Village. Voters in Waterville supported joining the district by a margin 355 to 10 on April 1, 1899.

Negotiations and condemnation proceedings with the Maine Water Company were not completed until May 9, 1904, when the district paid the water company slightly more than $500,000 for the system.

Water is provided by the Kennebec Water District, which has a good history page.

References
1853 An act to incorporate the Waterville Aqueduct Company. March 22, 1853.

1880 Annual Reports of the Town Officers of the Town of Waterville for the Year Ending February 20, 1880.
Page 23: 1879. Dec. 27 - Waterville Aqueduct Co. for water to July 1, 1879. $10.00

1881 An act to supply the people of Waterville with pure water. March 16, 1881.

1883 Annual Reports of the Town Officers of the Town of Waterville for the Year Ending February 20, 1883.
Page 30: 1882. July 6 - Ticonic Aqueduct Co., water rent. $4.00

1887 An act to make valid the doings of the Waterville Water Company in contracting with the town of Waterville for a supply of water, and in the purchase of reservoir dam and rights of flowage, and mills. February 1, 1887.

1887 An act to amend an act entitled "An act to supply the people of Waterville with pure water." February 8, 1887.

1888 "Waterville and Fairfield," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.

1890 "Waterville and Fairfield," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.

1891 "Waterville and Fairfield," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.

1891 An act to authorize the Waterville Water Company to issue bonds. January 29, 1891.

1891 An act to authorize the inhabitants of the city of Waterville to purchase the franchise and property of the Waterville Water Company. February 6, 1891.

1897 "Waterville and Fairfield," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.

1899 An act to incorporate the Kennebec Water District. March 17, 1899.

1900 Maine Water Company v. City of Waterville, 93 Me. 586, February 9, 1900, Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

1902 Kennebec Water Dist. v. City of Waterville, et al., 96 Me. 234, March 3, 1902, Supreme Judicial Court of Maine.

1902 The centennial history of Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine, by Edwin Carey Whittemore
Page 88: The question of water supply was considered in 1886. A committee consisting of Reuben Foster, Moses Lyford, F. A. Waldron, S. S. Brown, W. T. Haines, Geo. E. Shores and C. G. Carleton reported against the making of a contract with a private corporation and in favor of assuming the charter of the Waterville Water Company. This was voted but was afterward reconsidered and a contract was signed with the Water Company in May, 1887, to run for twenty years.

1908 A Chronology of Municipal History and Election Statistics, Waterville, Maine, 1771-1908, by Clement Martin Giveen
Page 128: 1882. Waterville Water Company
Pages 134-136: 1886. Waterville Water Company
Pages 138-139: 1887. Waterville Water Company
Pages 166-168: 1899. Kennebec Water District