City of St. Louis Water Division

1764: The City of St. Louis is founded.

1831: The City of St. Louis contracts with Abraham Fox and John Wilson to build a waterworks.

1835: The City of St. Louis buys out the bankrupt Fox and Wilson, becoming sole owner of the St. Louis Waterworks.

1863: State legislators pass an act enabling the City to build new facilities to draw water from anywhere on the Mississippi River and to conduct it to the City. The act also creates a Board of Water Commissioners.

1865: James Kirkwood, designer of the Bissells Point Plant, is named Chief Engineer of the Board of Water Commissioners.

1867: Construction begins on the Bissells Point Plant.

1870: The Grand Water Tower is built at 20th Street and Grand Avenue.

1871: The Bissells Point Plant opens.

1876: The position of Water Commissioner is created.

1885: Construction begins on the Bissell Water Tower at Bissell Street and Blair Avenue.

1887: Construction of the Bissell Water Tower is completed. A low service pumping station is established at Chain of Rocks.

1894: The Chain of Rocks Plant goes into service.

1898: The Compton Hill Water Tower is built at Grand and Russell Boulevards.

1900: The first experiments using lime and ferrous sulfate as water purifiers are conducted.

1904: The Water Division begins adding milk of lime and ferrous sulfate to purify the water.

1908: A new Coagulant House is built at Chain of Rocks Plant to store lime and ferrous sulfate.

1911: Edward Wall is named Water Commissioner.

1912: The Grand Water Tower and the Bissell Water Tower are taken out of service.

1915: The Filter Plant is built at Chain of Rocks Plant.

1919: The Water Division begins using chlorine in the water purification process.

1923: Construction begins on the Howard Bend Plant and Stacy Park Reservoir.

1929: The Howard Bend Plant goes into service. The Compton Hill Water Tower is taken out of service.

1953: The Water Division begins adding fluoride to the treated water.

1957: Construction of a clear water basin and distributive pumping station begins at Chain of Rocks Plant.

1958: The Chain of Rocks Plant switches from steam power to electric.

1960: New Coagulant House is built at Chain of Rocks Plant.

1965: The Water Division begins using activated carbon in the water purification process.

1972: The Howard Bend Plant becomes powered entirely by electricity.

1986: The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers flood, prompting plans for a new flood wall at Howard Bend Plant.

1993: Construction of a new flood wall around Howard Bend is completed. The Flood of 1993 takes place three months after its completion. Due to improvements to the flood wall, the flood has minimal damage on the equipment at the Treatment plant.

1995: A $19 million renovation begins on the Compton Hill Reservoir.

1997: New pre-sedimentation and softening basins are constructed at Chain of Rocks Plant.

1999: Construction is completed on new chlorine handling facilities at both plants. Compton Hill Reservoir improvements are completed, including renovation of Compton Hill Water Tower.

2001: The Chain of Rocks and Howard Bend treatment plants attain the Director's Award for treatment optimization from the Partnership for Safe Water.

2003: Stacy Park Reservoir Seismic Improvements are completed.

2007: Saint Louis City Water voted "Best Tasting Tap Water in the Nation" by the US Conference of Mayors.

For a more detailed history, click here for A History of the St. Louis Water Works (1764-1968) by William B. Schworm