Tag Archives: water

MFH 2

15 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by in Baltimore, HISTORY

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The Gunpowder Temporary Supply was in use between 1873 and 1881, as the City required it. Work on the Permanent Supply started in 1875. This new supply would consist of a dam at Loch Raven, a 6-1/2 mile tunnel to Montebello, where a lake would be built with a gatehouse, to connect to another lake at Clifton. The properties at Montebello and Clifton belonged to Garrett and Hopkins.

On September 29, 1881, Lake Montebello reached its full height elevation of 163′. Lake Clifton would not be completed until late 1887. The water from Montebello flowed thru pipes, to the site of the lake and connected to pipes, to supply the City. Until the lake and gatehouse were completed at Clifton, a temporary shed was built over the pits that housed the gate valves. There was a house built on the property for the Gatekeeper. There was recent talk of leasing the Clifton Gatehouse for a Farmers Market, if the person would restore the building.

Montebello Filters History 1

12 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by in Baltimore, HISTORY

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Before the Montebello Filtration Plant came to be in 1915, Baltimore received its water from various sources. Mostly at the direction of the City Commissioners to form a water company, for fire protection. Wells were sunk and springs directed to fountains. But like every other growing city, Baltimore had its fair share of problems – drought, pollution, pestilence, etc.

In 1854 the Bureau of Water Supply became a Municipal Utility Corporation. 1861 saw Swann Lake (Lake Roland), Hampden Reservoir and the new Mt Royal Reservoir put into service. These received water from the Jones Falls. In 1864 the City started construction of Lake Chapman (Druid Lake). By 1866, Mayor Chapman realized the inadequacy of the Jones Falls, so authorization for the purchase of lands along the Gunpowder Falls began. 1869-70 saw one of the worst droughts in Baltimore history. In 1871 a reservoir at Pimlico was built, but this was still receiving water from the Jones Falls, which was failing. 1873 saw an urgent need for a supplementary water supply.  A temporary pump, pumping station and a 36-inch cast iron discharge water main were constructed for the delivery of the Gunpowder Falls water from Meredith’s Ford Bridge to Roland Run, a tributary of the Jones Falls, above Lake Roland.  The water flow would be forced at a rate of 10 million gallons a day into Roland Run, a distance of 3-1/2 miles. To the dismay of the property owners. This was known as the Temporary Supply.

Original photo

Original photo

A. Hoen litho from original photo

A. Hoen litho from original photo 1875

Montebello 100 #2

31 Saturday Jan 2015

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Momentum is starting to build for this years 100th anniversary celebration. I just received a list of proposed events and speeches for this momentous occasion and we are meeting next week to discuss. This event is going to be so big that other yearly events are being cancelled to focus on this one, which is unfortunate because some of them are really nice. But one thing I don’t see on the list of events is – Ghost Walk Tours! Below is a photo of the property where the filtration plant is now located. What happened to all those graves??

I see dead people! in the form of present day city employees….

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Montebello FWR II

25 Sunday Jan 2015

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In 1924-1926 the City built a new reservoir and filtration plant. The reservoir was supposed to be covered like the Plant I FWR but the City said it would cost too much money, so they didn’t.

Mont 6-25 1056 Mont 6-25 1055

As can be seen in the top photo, flat supports were poured to hold the columns for the roof.

So the federal gov’t decides that all open reservoirs need to be covered. Instead of covering the existing FWR, they demolished it and built a new one. The old one was 20 million gallons. This one is about 32 million gallons. Speaking of millions – this new one cost millions and millions more than what it would have cost to cover it originally (couple hundred thousand)

So I ask, the old underground reservoir which has been there for 100 years or this new one – which do you think will last longer??

Untitled-1 copy

 

Montebello Filtered Water Reservoir

22 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by in Baltimore, filtration

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In 1913, while building the underground reservoir for the filtration plant at Montebello, Baltimore Md., the contractor in his zest for an early completion bonus decided to start filling over the reservoir with dirt. Haste makes waste!

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The majority of the structure collapsed. The contractor needed to start over and by late 1914, he was almost done. Because of other related projects, the water works would not be completed until 1915.

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The above photo is what it looked like near completion. This structure, which holds close to 20 million gallons was built using wood forms and poured in place concrete. When the wood was removed, the slat marks stayed.

The next set of photos I found were from 1965, when the reservoir was being cleaned (It was usually cleaned every 4-5 years, to remove lime deposits)

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The only way in and out was thru a site well and down the ladder. Men with fire hoses washed it down. Lime visible on side wall and columns.

These next pics show the same reservoir 100 years later being cleaned. It is a very time consuming task. Before the Clean Water Act and all those other fed and state regs, we could just send it all to drain and have it cleaned in a couple days. Now it takes weeks and we have to monitor ph and Cl2 levels.

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Looking into the far left corner of the last photo you will see a set a stairs. They were installed in 1983. As can be seen, 100 years later and it still looks the same.

Montebello Filters 100 Years

17 Saturday Jan 2015

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Baltimore’s Montebello Filtration Plant will be celebrating 100 years of water purification September 2015. The local newspapers said that over 5,ooo people showed up for this event in 1915. There will be a co-celebration with the engineering firm of Whitman, Requardt and Associates whose one founding member was Ezra Whitman. More on Whitman later.

Indians

29 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in Baltimore, filtration, HISTORY, Reservoir, water

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Liberty Lumber 

In the 1950s, the City of Baltimore operated a saw mill near the site of the future Liberty Reservoir.

 

Indian Grave

In 1952 while clearing the site for the new dam and reservoir they found this marker. The caption in the album reads:

“Taken February 8, 1952-showing old grave discovered near city saw mill while clearing land. Believed by some to be the grave of a Maryland Indian.”

A few questions about this – Is it? If so, what do the markings say? What happened to it? The one thing about coming across items like this is – now I have to try to find the old engineers/inspectors journals and see if they make mention of it or is it just a random photo some one took and placed in an album??