Comprehensive tables of public water works across the United States and Canada, with construction and operation details.
This edition updates the data to the present date as much as possible, based on official returns and town reports. It pairs an alphabetical list of towns with a second table of statistics, organized by town population, so you can compare size and system characteristics at a glance. The material covers owner, source of supply, cost, and officers, plus ongoing work status and debt information. The book is a practical resource for researchers, historians, and professionals interested in the history and scope of public water systems in North America.
- What you’ll experience:
- A structured, town-by-town reference of public water supplies and their evolution
- Cross-referenced entries linking descriptive sketches and operating statistics
- Details on source types (groundwater, surface water, springs, artesian wells) and system scales
- Historical context showing progress, responses, and challenges in water works
- How it can help you:
- Compare towns by size, source, and development stage
- Understand the early infrastructure and financial aspects of water systems
- Locate descriptive sketches and supporting data for named towns
Ideal for readers of historical engineering records, municipal history, and utility research, this edition serves as a careful, data-driven snapshot of North American water works in the late 19th century.