Documentary History of American Water-works

Ohio

Tiffin

Tiffin, Ohio

Tiffin was incorporated as a town in 1835 and as a city in 1850.

Solon L. Wiley submitted a proposal to build water works in April, 1878, and incorporated the Tiffin Water Works Company the following month. They received a franchise from the city in 1879 and built a Holly water system that was demonstrated on August 26, 1879. The pumps were powered by steam and water.

The company was sold to the Ohio Cities Water Company on June 14, 1928, and that company was acquired by the Community Water Service Company on the same day. This holding company was became part of the American Water Works Company, which in 2012 sold eight water systems to Aqua America.

Water is supplied by Aqua America Ohio.

References
1875 "Water Works - Report of Committee," The Tiffin Tribune, December 16, 1875, Page 3.

1878 "Water Works!" The Tiffin Tribune, April 11, 1878, Page 3.

1878 "An Ordinance," The Tiffin Tribune, August 1, 1878, Page 2.
To authorize the establishment of Water Works.

1878 "Water Works," The Tiffin Tribune, August 29, 1878, Page 3.

1879 An act to authorize the council of the city of Tiffin, Ohio, to make a contract with the Tiffin water-works, for a supply of water, for fire and other purposes, for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, and to levy taxes to pay water rents, to become due by terms of said contract. February 10, 1879.

1879 "An Ordinance," The Tiffin Tribune, March 20, 1879, Page 4. | also here |
Granting to the "Tiffin Water Works" the right to use the streets

1879 "Water Power," The Tiffin Tribune, April 10, 1879, Page 3.
Small power for armatures, elevators, sewing machine, &c., from water motors, run by the Water Works for sale a low yearly rental. Apply to Tiffin Water Works.

1879 Engineering News 5:279 (August 30, 1879)
The final test of the Tiffin, O., Water-works was given on the 26th inst. and proved a splendid success. Seven streams, averaging 150 feet, were thrown at once through one-and-a-quarter nozzles. The capacity of the pumps, one turbine ninety horsepower water-wheel and two steam pumps, is 3,000,000 gallons per day. The closing feature was a huge stream through a three-inch nozzle, 200 feet high. The contractor for the works was S. L. Wiley, of Boston.

1880 History of Seneca County, from the Close of the Revolutionary War to July, 1880: Embracing Many Personal Sketches of Pioneers, Anecdotes, and Faithful Descriptions of Events Pertaining to the Organization of the County and Its Progress, by William Lang
Page 400: The Tiffin Water Works were accepted by the council of the city in the fall of 1879. There are about 14 miles of water pipes in the city. The city pays rent for hydrants.

1882 Tiffin, from Engineering News 2:428 (December 16, 1882)

1886 History of Seneca County, Ohio: Containing a History of the County, Its Townships, Towns, Villages ... Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men; Biographies; History of the Northwest Territory; History of Ohio; Statistical and Miscellaneous Matter, Etc., Etc, by Michael A. Leeson
Page 535: Tiffin Water-ivorks were established in 1878, under authority of a State charter and an ordinance of the city, granting the company the right to lay down water mains, and giving the exclusive right of water supply for twenty-five years. The system adopted is that known as the "Holly Direct Pressure System;" the works were constructed by S. L. Wiley & Company and were transferred to Tiffin Water-works Company, on completion and acceptance by the city.
The pumps used are the Holly Quadruplex Pumping Engine, operated by water-power; capacity, 3,000,000 United States gallons in twenty-four hours. There is also a Knowles & McGowen pump operated by steam, combined capacity of which is 3,000,000 United States gallons in twenty-four hours. The power is in duplicate by water and steam. Pumping station is located on the west bank of the Sandusky River, about one mile and a quarter southwest of city at the old Lugenbeel Flouring-mill.
The network of piping consists of cast and wrought pipe, about fifteen miles in length ; there are two water mains separately connected with this network in the city, one sixteen-inch and one twelve-inch, one on the east and one on the west side of the river; there are 107 hydrants and about 350 water consumers. The first officers were S. L. Wiley, president and manager, and M. Scannell, superintendent. The present officers are M. Scannell, president and manager, and George William Ballon, treasurer and secretary.

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

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

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

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

1923 Annual Report of the Public Service Commission of Ohio
Page 8-18: Appeal of Tiffin Water Works from rate ordinance, passed December 13, 1920, decided November 8, 1923.

1928 "New Charters," The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 14, 1928, Page 19.
Marion - The Ohio Cities Water Company.

1928 "Community Water Service," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 14, 1928, Page 28.
Community Water Service Company has acquired the Marion Water Company, Marion, O., and the Ohio Cities Water Company, Tiffin, O.

1928 "Tiffin Water Works to Sell its Plant," The Tribune (Conshocton, Ohio), Jul 18, 1928, Page 4.
The application of the Tiffin Water Works company to sell its property at Tiffin to the Ohio Cities Water Works company was today approved by the state utilities commission.

1929 "Asks Franchise," The News-Messenger (Fremont, Ohio), February 20, 1929, Page 1.
Ohio Cities Water company, successor to the Tiffin Water Works company, applied to the city council Monday for a franchise. A franchise is sought to replace one expiring about two years ago. The company asks a 50-year grant.

1931 "Franchise is granted," The Sandusky Register, April 8, 1831, Page 2.
A 25-year franchise was granted the Ohio Cities Water Company last night by the city council. Under the terms, the city will receive a limited amount of free water and the company will erect a standpipe within five years.

1936 "Built $25,000 Tower," Mansfield News-Journal, March 4, 1936, Page 9.

1941 "Utility Makes Offer to Sell Waterworks," The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 28, 1941, Page 4.
The Ohio Cities Water Company today offered to sell the Tiffin water system to the city for $1,400,000.

2015 Tiffin, by Keith Elchert and Laura Weston-Elchert
Page 26: Tiffin's Water Works was completed in 1879, a year after the utility's establishment. The Ella Street facility originally drew its water from on-site artesian wells; the Sandusky River - along the bank of which the plant is situated - was not tapped as a water source until 1918. the building was added to the national register of historic places in 1980.