Fairmount Waterworks, Philadelphia, PA 1998
© EOP
Spending several days in Philadelphia earlier this week, I have not done much work on the water course. The issue of water was not completely absent, for on a visit to the Philadelphia Museum (brown temple like building in the upper section of photo), we parked in a lot above the Fairmount Waterworks, some classic revival buildings of substantial architectural interest on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River near downtown Philadelphia.With its museum honoring the city's waterworks, the building is also of substantial interest as a surviving element of one of the oldest municipal water supply systems in the world. Originally opened in 1815, the pumping station has been closed for over a century, but it marks the initial source of a reliable supply of clean water for the residents of the Pennsylvania city and the origins of the idea that a supply of potable water was essential for urban success.
Upstream from the waterworks and the dam on the Schuylkill is Fairmount Park. It was originally created to protect the quality of the city's water by limiting development of its watershed, an idea still very much in the forefront of urban water supply planning. Philadelphia today draws its water from a much larger area, but the green space remains one of the largest urban parks in the United States. A number of urban innovations had their origins in Philadelphia, including a fire department created through the efforts of Benjamin Franklin.Its growth to become one of the largest cities in the United States depended on increasing its water supply. Today's water system supplies a vastly larger population spread over a much larger land area than the Fairmount Park pumping station supplied. A good website called Philly H2O has all kinds of information about the city's water supply, including a great map collection.
Upstream from the waterworks and the dam on the Schuylkill is Fairmount Park. It was originally created to protect the quality of the city's water by limiting development of its watershed, an idea still very much in the forefront of urban water supply planning. Philadelphia today draws its water from a much larger area, but the green space remains one of the largest urban parks in the United States. A number of urban innovations had their origins in Philadelphia, including a fire department created through the efforts of Benjamin Franklin.Its growth to become one of the largest cities in the United States depended on increasing its water supply. Today's water system supplies a vastly larger population spread over a much larger land area than the Fairmount Park pumping station supplied. A good website called Philly H2O has all kinds of information about the city's water supply, including a great map collection.
