Overview of the Collection
Historical NoteA public waterworks was created by Charter Amendment in 1875. Seattle has owned and operated a municipal water system since 1891, when it purchased private local water companies and began development of the Cedar River Watershed. The system was administered by the Superintendent of Water under the auspices of the Board of Public Works until 1905, when the Department of Lighting and Water Works was created. In 1910, the Water Department became a separate entity. In 1997, the Water Department was absorbed into Seattle Public Utilities. Content DescriptionThe annual reports date from 1894 to 1990. Reports for the Department of Lighting and Water are included in this series until 1910. Water supply issues are mentioned frequently in early reports. Detailed budgets are provided with construction costs for reservoirs and pipelines given. Early reports include statistics on pumping stations and reservoirs. Maps appear primarily in the 1910s and 1920s reports and are mostly of the watershed and water disctricts within the City. Beginning in 1922, reports include maps, photographs, and an index to exhibits. The exhibits, which comprise the bulk of the reports by the late 1920s, primarily detail the budget, detailing costs and expenses, such as numbers of taps and meters installed, water rates, and listing who received free water service. Between 1930 and 1959, reports are published every year. Reports of the Forester for the CRWS are included for some years in the 1930s and 1940s. Beginning in the late 1960s, statistical information is published separately in an Annual Report Supplement. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Records are open to the public. Preferred Citation :[Item and date], Seattle Water Department Annual Reports, Record Series 1802-J2. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives. Administrative InformationDetailed Description of the CollectionThe following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
SubjectsThis collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||