Pump House has history in Richmond’s drinking water
The Pump House is the key feature of Pump House Park and when it was constructed, it played a large role in the creation of a healthy water supply for Richmond. A history lesson from a sign in the park: The large granite building is what remains of the second oldest water pumping station in Richmond. […]
The Pump House is the key feature of Pump House Park and when it was constructed, it played a large role in the creation of a healthy water supply for Richmond.
A history lesson from a sign in the park:
The large granite building is what remains of the second oldest water pumping station in Richmond.
It was built in 1882 and provided drinking water for the City of Richmond for over forty years. Nine pumps on the first floor drew water from the canal in front of you and sent it up the hill behind you to the Byrd Park Reservoir at Blanton Avenue and the Boulevard.
Thick walls to resist water pressure and a sturdy ceiling that could hold a gantry crane, allowed a second floor to be added as a dance floor.
Look for the round metal pipe at the corner of the main building. This was the intake for drinking water. Note that the water came directly from the canal. At first it was unfiltered and untreated. To the left are three square openings at the base of the building. These took in the water that drove the pumps.
A thought about health…Richmond’s drinking water came from wells and springs or directly from rivers and streams throughout the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
Most drinking water was contaminated with bacteria from horse manure that washed off roads or from leaky privies behind people’s homes. Dysentery and typhoid were common.
In 1909 settling basins were constructed upstream and water became much clearer and somewhat cleaner. In 1914 chlorine treatment began, water became much safer and a great improvement in public health resulted.
Water now passes through the concrete building on the left that uses electric pumps.
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