Clean Water Comes To Morgantown

Clean Water Comes To Morgantown. Interpreting History. , Residents Welcome Tibbs Run Water , Tibbs Run did not supply water to the reservoir here until 1912. It did, however, serve as a public water source earlier. In 1889, the new Union Improvement Company (UIC) purchased 210 acres of land south of here within the Tibbs Run watershed - known as the most reliable and clean water supply in the area. In just five weeks, they were sending water from Tibbs Run through gravity-fed pipes running along Tibbs Run and Deckers Creek to town.

When UIC opened its mains, "the sparkling water from the mountain springs" flowed in, reported the Morgantown Weekly Post. UIC demonstrated success by attaching a hose to a fire plug on Front Street (now University Avenue) and throwing a stream of water 1 inch in diameter 100 feet into the air.,

"Oh, who'd a' thought it?' 'Geeminy, don't she spit madly?' and similar expressions were heard from the excited denizen on all sides."… The next day some boys took the hose to the courthouse and "threw a stream of water right into Patrick Henry's face… and several feet over his head.” – Morgantown Weekly Post ,

How to Supply Enough Clean Water? , In order to ensure an adequate supply of water to all residents, water was also drawn from the Monongahela River and local wells. This water was piped a short distance to the water works on the riverfront south of downtown Morgantown. Each source produced a different quality of water, although the Tibbs Run water was almost always considered better. Most people still thought that, if the water was clear, it was safe, which we now know is not true. The seepage from outhouses in town could leak into the wells, and industrial and farming waste upstream often made the river water brown, putrid and foul tasting. Dry months could negatively affect all the sources, including Tibbs Run., Improvements to the water works included installing crushed stone and sand water filters (1897) and building a new pumping station (1903). Still, citizens pressed for better quality water drawn from a larger, safer, year-round supply, fearing that the current water supply was in danger of causing a typhoid or cholera outbreak., The Prices Paid for the Privilege , Price UIC paid for a 210-acre tract of land containing Tibbs Run in 1889: $200 , Price UIC charged consumers in 1889: $6.00 for 1 - 2 pipes, or $7.50 for 3 - 4 pipes. , Price in the Morgantown City Council Ordinance on water rates in 1902: No family could be charged more than $21 per year for water service. This was a substantial sum, given that the average annual income for Monongalia County wage-earners in manufacturing was $400.68., [Captions:] , Morgantown courthouse with Patrick Henry statue on top. , Photo courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries., Outhouses of homes on Stewart Street in Morgantown, W.Va., c. 1890. Clean piped water meant major improvements for residents. , Photo courtesy of West Virginia and Regional History Collection, WVU Libraries.