| Introduction | Historical Background | Chronology | Geography | Biography | Technology | Ownership and Financing | General Bibliography |
| Middle Atlantic States | Pennsylvania | Beaver Borough |
Beaver Borough was laid out in 1792 and incorporated in 1802.
The 1802 charter for Beaver Borough included the right to acquire springs and to "carry and conduct the waters from said streams or springs to any part of said borough." The town built water works in 1802 using wooden logs. The system was rebuilt and expanded several times.
Water was supplied free to residents from 1802 until an annual charge of $2.00 "per kitchen unit" was imposed in 1967. Water meters were installed sometime after 1972 and water charges today are similar to other water systems.
The waterworks are owned by the Borough of Beaver. This system was the second municipally-owned water works in the United States, after Philadelphia.
References
1802 An act to erect the Town of Beaver, in
the county of Beaver, into a Borough, and for other purposes, March
29, 1801.
Section VII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That
the surveyor general is hereby authorized and required to cause to be
surveyed and laid off, at the expense of said corporation, in a convenient
manner, a part of the said reserved tract of land, in two separate lots,
containing in the whole not more than fifteen acres, on the north side of
the in-lots of said town of Beaver, so as to include several streams or
springs of water that rise in or pass through said lots, which lots of
ground, and the waters thereon, shall be, and they are hereby granted to
the inhabitants of said borough for ever, with full liberty and privilege
to carry and conduct the waters from said streams or springs to any part
of said borough. Provided nevertheless, that the right of private property
shall not be in any degree affected or impaired thereby, without the
consent of the owner or owners first obtained for that purpose: And
provided also, that the said lots shall not be sold or conveyed by the
said corporation, but remain for the uses aforesaid.
1888 "Beaver," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 1.
1890 "Beaver," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 2.
1891 "Beaver," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 3.
1897 "Beaver," from Manual of American Water Works, Volume 4.
1904 "Water Works" from History of Beaver County, Pennsylvania: And Its Centennial Celebration, Volume 2, by Joseph Henderson Bausman
1972 History of the Water Supply of Beaver Borough, by Harry Phillips
© 2015 Morris A. Pierce