| Introduction | Historical Background | Chronology | Geography | Biography | Technology | Ownership and Financing | General Bibliography |
| Middle Atlantic States | New York | Watervleit |
Watervliet was incorporated as the village of West Troy in 1836 and as the city of Watervliet in 1896.
The West Troy Water Works Company was incorporated on March 7, 1876 and built a system that began service early the following year by using water power to pump into an elevated reservoir. The company sold water to the adjacent village of Green Island starting in 1878, but the village refused to contract for fire protection water after 1884. The Green Island Water Company was incorporated in 1888, acquired the West Troy Water Works Company and built a new plant in Green Island. This company was foreclosed in 1900 and the Watervliet system was reincorporated as the Watervliet Hydraulic Company. The new company had difficulty in supplying clean water, and the city of Watervliet built a new gravity system that began service in 1918.
Water is provided by the City of Watervliet.
References
1873 Journal
of the New York Legislative Assembly
Page 330: Monday, February 24, 1873. Mr. Mosher introduced a bill
entitled "An act to incorporate the Watervliet, West Troy, and Green
Island Water-works Company," which was read the first time, and by
unanimous consent was also read the second time, and referred to the
committee on the judiciary.
1876 The
Evening Telegram (New York, New York), June 17, 1876, Page 4.
The difficulty between the West Troy water works contractors and
laborers has been adjusted, and the men resumed work Wednesday at the old
rate, $l.50 per day. The trouble arose originally from a reduction
of wages to $1.25 The laborers were so overjoyed at the
amicable turn in affairs, that they formed in procession and, with a band,
devoted Tuesday evening to the serenading of the various contractors.
1876 The
Evening Telegram (New York, New York), November 3, 1876, Page
4.
The West Troy Water Works will be completed December 10.
1877 An
act authorizing the board of trustees of the village of West Troy to
contract for a supply of water for public purposes. March 30,
1877.
Section 1. The board of trustees of the village of West Troy are hereby
authorized and empowered to contract with the West Troy Water-works
Company, from time to time for terms of not more than four years'
duration, for a supply of water for public purposes in said village, at a
rate not exceeding seven thousand dollars per annum for eighty-five
hydrants, or other public taps and the number of said hydrants or other
public taps shall not exceed eighty-five unless such excess shall be
authorized by a vote of the taxable inhabitants of said village in the
manner provided for in the charter of said village for voting other taxes.
1882 West Troy, Engineering News, 9:91 (March 18, 1882)
1882 West Troy, from "The Water-Supply of Certain Cities and Towns of the United States," by Walter G. Elliot, C. E., Ph. D.
1886 The
City of Troy and Its Vicinity, by Arthur James Weise
Page 343: The West Troy Water Works Company, incorporated, 1876,
began supplying the village with water in 1877. The water is pumped
from the Mohawk River near Niskayuna. The storage reservoir is about
a mile west of the village.
1886 Bi-centennial
History of Albany: History of the County of Albany, N.Y., from 1609 to
1886, Volume 2, by George Rogers Howell
Page 991: The Village of West Troy. Water Works Company.
The West Troy Water Works Company was incorporated in 1876, under the
provisions of the general act of the Legislature of this State, of 1873,
for the formation and incorporation of water works companies, the water
being introduced into the village in the early part of 1877. The first
Board of Directors of this company were as follows: George R. Meneely,
Alfred Mosher, George M. Wiswall, Jesse C. Dayton, Lorenzo D. Collins,
John Reiley, George Tweddle, William B. Williams, Richard S. Lobdell and
George B. Mosher. The water supplied by this company is obtained from the
Mohawk River, at a point near Niskayuna, and is carried from this point,
where it is pumped from the river, to a large storage reservoir located on
the hill, about a mile west of the U. S. Arsenal, from whence it flows
into the mains which run through the streets of this village. In 1877 this
company introduced the water into the village of Green Island by extending
their mains through the village streets. The expense or cost of
construction of this system of water works was about $275,000, the village
of Green Island being supplied with twenty hydrants and this village with
ninety hydrants, which are used for extinguishing fires by the village
fire department. This company has in use about sixteen miles of pipe, and
supplies the water to consumers at a pressure of about seventy pounds to
the square inch.
1888 An act to authorize the commissioners of sewers of the village of West Troy to contract with the West Troy Water Works Company, for a supply of water for flushing the sewers of said village. March 16, 1888.
1888 The
Saratogian, March 29, 1888, Page 9.
The West Troy water works plant has been sold to the Green Island water
company, who will operate the same. The establishment of electric
light works in connection with the pumping station at Green Island is now
under consideration.
1888 "West Troy," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1889 The
Daily Leader (Gloversville, New York), May 4, 1889, Page 4.
The board of trustees of the village of West Troy met Wednesday
evening. The contract for furnishing the village with water was
awarded to the Green Island water works for $8,000.
1890 "West Troy," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "West Troy," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.
1897 "Watervliet," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.
1897 Landmarks
of Albany County, New York, by Amasa Junius Parker
Pages 418-419: The West Troy Water Works Company was incorporated in
1876, the supply being taken from the Mohawk in the extreme northeast part
of the town, whence it is pumped into a reservoir on the hill about a mile
west of the Arsenal ; from that it flows by gravity through the village
mains. The cost of the system was about $275,000, and the water is largely
used. The first board of directors of the company were George R. Meneely,
Alfred Riosher, George M. Wiswall, Jesse C. Dayton, Lorenzo D. Collins,
John Reiley, George Tweddle, William B. Williams, Richard S. Lobdell, and
George B. Mosher. The company has recently been reorganized, with new
officers, and is planning for large extension of the system. With the
introduction of this water supply the steam fire engines of the village
were largely disused, though two of them are at the present time kept in
commission on account of the weak pressure of the water in the mains.
Page 431: After the establishment of the West Troy Water Works, that
company extended its system into this village and supplied water until the
spring of 1884.
1900 "Waterworks
Company Reorganized," Buffalo Evening News, October 19,
1900, Page 6.
Articles of incorporation of the Watervliet Hydraulic company, capital
$300,000 were filed yesterday with the secretary of state. The
company is a reorganization of the former West Troy waterworks, whose
reservoirs and other property were sold under mortgage foreclosure in July
last. The directors of the reorganized company are Henry W. Miller,
Alfred H. Dobson, Levi H. Birdseye, all of Utica; Francis W. Marsh,
Ebenezer Burr Orange Mervin and John C. Chamberlain, of Bridgeport, Conn.
1904 Annual
Report of the New York State Department of Health
Pages 546-556: Watervliet (impurity of water supply)
1906 Annual
Report of the State Water Supply Commission of New York
Page 123: Application of the City of Watervliet.
1910 "Watervliet Waterless," The Burlington Free Press, December 28, 1910, Page 10.
1914 An act to establish and maintain a water department in and for the city of Watervliet. April 18, 1914.
1914 "Damage
around Troy, N.Y.," The Boston Globe, August 22, 1914, Page
2.
The water works plant of the Watervliet Hydraulic Company was wrecked by
lightning and the huge smokestack was hurled from its foundation.
1915 Fifth
Annual Report of the State Conservation Commission
Page 265-278: Application of the Watervliet Water Board for the approval
of plans for the aquisition and construction of a proposed new water
supply for the city of Watervliet N.Y. Approved April 1, 1915.
Between the pumping station and the distribution reservoir a force main
was to be constructed, 20 inches diameter for about 11 miles and 16 inches
in diamater for the remaining distance. The greater part of this
line was to be of machine banded wood stave pipe.
1916 Annual
Report of the New York State Department of Health
Pages 670-672: Watervliet
Watervliet is the only city of the capitol district which had continued,
up to 1916 and in the face of repeated warnings and advice, to permit the
use by its citizens of an unlit and dangerous water supply, and
accordingly has continued to have a high typhoid fever rate.
1917 Watervliet Hydraulic Co. v. State, 163 N.Y.S. 939, March 7, 1917, Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department
1917 "Modern
Practice in Wood Stave Pipe Design and Suggestions for Standard
Specifications," by J.F. Partridge, Presented at the meeting of May
16, 1917. Transactions of the American Society of Civil
Engineers 82(2):433-514 (April, 1917)
Page 481: The use of wood stave pipe is somewhat limited in the East, but
a pipe of this material has been completed recently for the water supply
of Watervliet, N. Y., under the direction of G. K. Solomon and P. H.
Norcross, Members, Am. Soc. C. E.
1918 "Watervliet Pumping Station Shuts Down After Forty Years," Fire and Water Engineering 63(2):26 (January 9, 1918) | Also here |
1918 Fire
and Water Engineering 63:493 (June 26, 1918)
The new water system at Watervliet, N.Y., has undergone a successful test.
1920 Annual
Report of the State Department of Health
Page 108: Rules and regulations for the protection from
contamination of the public water supply of the city of Watervliet.
1921 Annual
Report of the New York State Department of Health for the year ending
December 31, 1921.
Pages 273-274: Watervliet. On May 19, 1920, a serious break occurred
in the wood stave piope leading from French's Hollow to the raw water
storage reservoir. The work of repair on this pipe was line was not
completed until June 15, 1920, when the filter plant was again
operated. During this interval water was supplied to the city by
pumping from the Hudson river through the pumping station located at the
Arsenal. Again on June 18, 1920, a small break in the pipe line occurred.
Pumping was started again on June 24 to fill the storage reservoir and the
filter plant again started on August 1st. During this' period. also water
was furnished to the city by pumping from the Hudson river through the
Arsenal pumping station. The Hudson river water was chlorinated, using
approximately 2 parts per million before being delivered to the
distribution system for consumption.
1933 "Broken pipe Perils Watervliet's Water," Star Gazette (Elmira, New York), July 14, 1933, Page 18.
1933 "Line Break Threatens City Water Shortage" Middletown Times Herald, July 21, 1933, Page 9.
1934 "Watervliet
Benefits," The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York, January 4,
1934, Page 1.
Loan and grant, $215,000 for use in improvements in waterworks system
comprising replacement of existing wood stave supply line with cast iron
main.
1934 "The
Importance of a Water Waste Survey in a Gravity System," by Laurence
C. Hough, Journal of the American Water Works Association
26(7):868-873 (July 1934)
Page 868: A good example of the second case is Watervliet, N.Y.,
which depended on some 14 miles of 20-inch pipe between the dam and the
city. In 1928 a section of this main burst, and before could be shut
off, some 160 feet of it had been washed away and the hole resulting
from the wash was no large that it was simply too big to fill in, so 325
feet of new main was laid around the area eroded, at considerable extra
cost. When the water was finally turned on again there was less than
six inches of storage left in the clear well.
2017 A Short History of Watervliet Water Works, by Kevin Franklin on July 24, 2017
© 2018 Morris A. Pierce