Water Department Annual Reports, 1894-1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle (Wash.). Water Dept.
Title
Water Department Annual Reports
Dates
1894-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.4 cubic feet
Collection Number
1802-J2
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

From 1854 until 1890, Seattle's water was provided by wells, springs and private water companies. A public waterworks was created by City Charter Amendment in 1875. However, Seattle was served primarily by small private water companies for the next decade and a half. In 1888, prompted by a tenfold population increase during the previous decade, Seattle's mayor and city council called for an election to decide if the city should own and operate its own water system.

Shortly before the election, the "Great Seattle Fire" of June 6, 1889, destroyed the entire 64-acre business district. A major contributor to the widespread destruction was the lack of water available from the patchwork of private water suppliers. The vote on establishing a municipally-owned water system was approved by a resounding 1,875 to 51 margin.

In 1890, a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed municipalities to issue bonds secured by future revenues. Shortly thereafter, Seattle issued $845,000 in bonds and purchased two private water companies -- the Spring Hill Water Company and the Union Water Company -- both of which pumped water from Lake Union and Lake Washington. In 1895, Seattle residents again voted to approve revenue bonds, this time to construct the Cedar River water system. Water first flowed from the Cedar River into Seattle's system on January 10, 1901. Water was diverted by a dam at Landsburg, and then was channeled into a newly-completed 28.57 mile pipeline. This pipeline carried water to the Volunteer Park and Lincoln reservoirs on Capitol Hill in Seattle, which were also built at the time. This new system had a capacity of 23.5 million gallons per day.

The system was administered by the Superintendent of Water under the auspices of the Board of Public Works. In 1905 the Department of Lighting and Water Works was created. Five years later, the Water Department became a separate entity. In 1909, a second pipeline was added, providing an additional 45 million gallon per day capacity to meet the water needs of a fast-growing Seattle. The next water supply source was not added until 1964, when the South Fork of the Tolt River began supplying north Seattle and the Eastside. In 1987, the first ground water source was added to the system when two wells in the Highline Well Field began operation. A third well was added in 1990.

In 1997 the Water Department was consolidated with the utilities of the Engineering Department to form Seattle Public Utilities.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Reports for the Department of Lighting and Water are included in this series until 1910. Early reports include statistics on pumping stations and reservoirs. Beginning in 1922, reports include maps, photographs, and an index to exhibits. From 1930 to 1959 reports are published every year. Beginning in 1972, statistical information is published separately.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

CF Project. A Comptroller or Clerk File (CF) can consist of correspondence, reports, petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been placed "on file" with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC). They are primarily permanent records, but also include routine material which is periodically purged. Beginning in 1987, certain archival records identified in the CF have been removed, arranged into records series, and incorporated into the collection of the Seattle Municipal Archives, a program of the OCC. A single accession number, 1987-048, was assigned to the transfer of the CF to the Archives. The initial transfer included records dating from 1895. These records remain in the CF series until approximately 15 years after they were filed with the OCC, at which point they are removed to the Archives. The transfer of CF records to the Archives is routine and regular. New accession numbers are not created when these transfers are made.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Water Department Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-J2 Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Water Department Annual Report 1894
1 2 Water Department Annual Report 1895
1 2 Water Department Annual Report 1896
1 3 Light and Water Annual Report 1900
1 3 Water Department Annual Report 1901
1 3 Water Department Annual Report 1903
1 3 Water Department Annual Report 1905
1 4 Lighting and Power Plant Annual Report 1906
1 4 Light and Water Annual Report 1908
1 4 Light and Water Annual Report 1909
1 4 Light and Water (Biennial) Annual Report 1908-1909
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1910
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1913
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1913
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1914
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1915
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1916
1 5 Water Department Annual Report 1917
1 6 Water Department Annual Report 1918
1 6 Water Department Annual Report 1919
1 6 Water Department Annual Report, Accounting Division 1920
1 6 Water Department Annual Report 1921
1 7 Water Department Annual Report 1922
1 7 Water Department Annual Report 1923
1 7 Water Department Annual Report 1923
1 7 Water Department Annual Report 1924
1 7 Water Department Annual Report 1925
1 7 Water Department Annual Report 1926
1 8 Water Department Annual Report 1928
1 8 Water Department Annual Report 1929
1 8 Water Department Annual Report 1930
1 8 Water Department Annual Report 1931
1 8 Water Department Annual Report 1932
1 9 Water Department Annual Report 1933
1 9 Water Department Annual Report 1934
1 9 Water Department Annual Report 1935
1 9 Water Department Annual Report 1936
1 10 Water Department Annual Report 1937
1 10 Water Department Annual Report 1938
1 10 Water Department Annual Report 1939
1 10 Water Department Annual Report 1940
2 1 Water Department Annual Report 1941
2 1 Water Department Annual Report 1942
2 1 Water Department Annual Report 1943
2 1 Water Department Annual Report 1944
2 2 Water Department Annual Report 1945
2 2 Water Department Annual Report 1946
2 2 Water Department Annual Report 1947
2 2 Water Department Annual Report 1948
2 2 Water Department Annual Report 1949
2 2 Water Department Annual Report 1950
2 3 Water Department Annual Report 1951
2 3 Water Department Annual Report 1952
2 3 Water Department Annual Report 1953
2 3 Water Department Annual Report (Comparative Statement) 1954
2 3 Water Department Annual Report 1954
2 4 Water Department Annual Report 1955
2 4 Water Department Annual Report 1956
2 4 Water Department Annual Report 1957
2 4 Water Department Annual Report 1958
2 4 Water Department Annual Report 1959
2 5 Water Department Annual Report 1960
2 5 Water Department Annual Report 1964
2 5 Water Department Annual Report 1961
2 5 Water Department Annual Report 1962
2 5 Water Department Annual Report 1963
2 6 Water Department Annual Report 1965
2 6 Water Department Annual Report 1966
2 6 Water Department Annual Report 1967
2 6 Water Department Annual Report 1968
2 6 Water Department Annual Report 1968
2 6 Water Department Annual Report (Supplemental) 1968
2 7 Water Department Annual Report 1969
2 7 Water Department Annual Report (includes Supplement) 1969
2 7 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1970
2 7 Water Department Annual Report 1970
2 8 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1971
2 8 Water Department Annual Report 1971
2 8 Water Department Annual Report 1972
2 8 Water Department Annual Report 1972
3 1 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1973
3 1 Water Department Annual Report 1973
3 1 Water Department Annual Report 1974
3 1 Water Department Annual Report (Supplement) 1974
3 2 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1975
3 2 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1976
3 2 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1977
3 3 Water Department Annual Report 1978
3 3 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1978
3 3 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1979
3 3 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1980
3 3 Water Department Annual Report 1980
3 4 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1981
3 4 Water Department Annual Report 1981
3 4 Water Department Annual Report 1982
3 4 Water Department Annual Report (includes Supplement) 1982
3 5 Water Department Annual Report 1983
3 5 Water Department Annual Report (includes Supplement) 1983
3 5 Water Department Annual Report (and supplement) 1984
3 6 Water Department Annual Report (3 parts) 1985
3 7 Water Department Annual Report 1986
3 7 Water Department Annual Report (includes Supplement) 1986
3 7 Water Department Annual Report (3 parts, including Supplement) 1987
4 1 Water Department Annual Report (2 parts) 1988
4 2 Water Department Annual Report 1989
4 3 Water Department Annual Report 1990
4 4 Water Department Annual Report 1991
4 4 Water Department Annual Report 1991
4 5 Water Department Annual Report 1992
4 6 Water Department Annual Report 1993
4 6 Water Department Annual Report 1994
4 6 Water Department Annual Report 1995

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Water

Corporate Names

  • Seattle (Wash.). Water Dept.

Geographical Names

  • Seattle
  • Seattle (Wash.)