Documentary History of American Water-works

Delhi

Delhi, New York

Delhi was incorporated as a village in 1821

The Delhi Water Company was incorporated in 1872 and built a gravity system that same year.

The village bought the company in 1897 for $50,000.

Water is provided by the Village of Delhi.

References
1872 An act to incorporate the Delhi Water Company. February 19, 1872.

1880 The History of Delaware County
THE DELHI WATER COMPANY
was organized by a special act of the Legislature on February 19th, 1872.
The body corporate included H. N. Buckley, Charles Hathaway, William Youmans, Charles Marvine, James H. Graham, W. C. Sheldon, T. Benjamin Meigs, James H. Wright, Daniel T. Arbuckle and Caleb A. Frost.
At the first meeting, March 15th, 1872, Charles Marvine was chosen president, Charles Hathaway vice-president; D. T. Arbuckle, secretary and treasurer; and J. H. Wright,, superintendent.
The capital stock of the company was $20,000. The reservoir is three-fourths of a mile from Main street, on Steele's brook, and all water that reaches the village must pass through a washed-gravel filter 160 feet long, 6 feet wide and 10 feet deep.
The water passes through two six-inch pipes to the village, where mains are placed in every street. There are in use four miles of mains. There are 35 hydrants for fire purposes in the corporation, and the entire village has the use of pure, good water.
The officers remain the same as at first, except that George E. Marvine has been president since the death of his father, and William Youmans vice-president since the death of Charles Hathaway. Dividends are made semi-annually, and no inland town has a better system or one more profitable to producers and consumers than this.
James H. Wright, the superintendent, has personally supervised the entire work of digging ditch and laying pipe in a workmanlike and economical manner.

1882 Delhi, Engineering News, 9:49-50 (February 11, 1872)

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

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

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

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

1897 Historical souvenir of Delhi, N.Y., [by Edgar Luderne Welch]
Page 6. The Delhi Water Company. It was incorporated February 19, 1872. The incorporators were H. N. Buckley, Charles Hathaway, William Youmans, Charles Marvine, James H. Graham, W. C. Sheldon, T. Benjamin Meigs, James H. Wright, Daniel T. Arbuckle and Caleb A. Frost. At the first meeting, March 15, 1872, Charles Marvine was chosen president, Charles Hathaway vice-president, D. T. Arbuckle secretary and treasurer, and J. H. Wright superintendent. The capital stock was $20,000. The reservoir is on Steeles' Brook, three-quarters of a mile from Main street.
Page 55: The Delhi Water Works supplies the village from a reservoir, two and a half miles from the village, fed by Steele's brook, a mountain stream of spring water, which never gets low. The normal storage is 6,000 gallons with a capacity three times as great. Having a fall to Main Street of 196 feet the head is sufficient to throw a stream to the top of the highest building. The reservoir was built in 1896 by the Delhi Water Co., to replace one situated farther down stream and inadequate. In 1897 the village became the owner with the board of trustees as the water commissioners.

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