Category:Municipal Water Works, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown's municipal water works dates to the formation of the Northampton Water Company. This was incorporated in 1816, with Peter Newhard, Charles H. Martin, Peter Snyder, William Boas, and Solomon Gangewere appointed commissioners to sell stock. The company began functioning about four years later, using as headquarters a site on Larwence Street, later occupied by the Fountain Park Hotel. Water was pumped from the nearby Crystal Springs using the Little Lehigh Creek for water power to operate turbines driving the pumps. A 12-inch pipe carried the water to the pumping station, located at what now is Fountain Park. Other pipes carried it back to reservoirs at 12th and Maple Streets.

By 1852, an additional reservoir with a capacity of 5,000 gallons was authorized to increase the water supply to Allentown, which now had 850 families. The name of the water company was changed in 1855 to The Allentown Water Company, which it used until being purchased by the city in 1869. The water plant was taken over by the city on July 5th, 1869, costing $98,000 for the property, machinery and the franchise.

Once under municipal control, the city engaged a consulting engineer from Philadelphia to investigate the city's needs and suggest any improvements that may be necessary. His report, filed in 1870, recommended that another additional resivour be built on Linden Street between 15th and 16th, at a cost of about $35,000. This would be for water storage. At the time, the water consumption of Allentown was about 500,000 gallons/day. This was provided easily by the existing system in 1870. However, during some drouts, there had been difficulty distributing water east of Eighth Street. City Council reviewed the engineering report favorbly, and a contract was awarded in 1871. The project was to be completed by January 1872. However complications developed, and the resivour was never built. The matter was settled in 1874 when it was decided to erect a standpipe at Jackson and Fountain Streets. It was not until the city began seriously developing the West End that additional water capacity was needed.

The Fountain House Hotel ,built in 1867, was at the Southwest corner of Lawerence and Jefferson streets. It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s as a Summer Resort. New York opera lovers enjoyed tree covered paths and crystal and crystal springs.

In May 1887, the city purchased several tracts of land surrounding and including the Fountain House Hotel, including Crystal Spring. In the Hotel property, the city installed two 3-million gallon steam pumps. A few months later, the city added additional infrastructure which was found necessary to increase water pressure on higher ground and also in taller buildings that were beginning to be erected. The hotel was used as a storage facility for many years, until being removed in the 1960s to widen the road. A remnant of the historic Fountain House at the intersection of Lawrence St. & Jefferson St. was demolished in 1980 to make way for the widened "Lawrence Street Expressway", now Martin Luther King Jr Drive.

Allentown was growing rapidly and by 1890, with a population of 25,000, further expansion of the system was necessary. Along with additional infrastructure improvements, in 1898 the city purchased Schantz's Spring. The spring furnished close to 10 million gallons/day and provided enough water for Allentown for the next 25 years. The expansion into South Allentown and East Allentown led to the acquisition of the mains of the Bethlehem Water Company in 1912. In 1917, City Council approved additions to the water pumping station and boiler house, along with additional pumps and boilers. The Fountain House Hotel was subsequently torn down to accommodate this expansion. In 1924, the Hamilton Park Water Company was purchased.

In 1935, it was decided to build a 30 million gallon resivour on South Mountain and a 10 million gallon capacity resivour in the 14th Ward in East Allentown, to provide water to the South and Eastern parts of the city.

The City of Allentown leased its water system to the Lehigh County Authority for fifty years in 2013. Water is provided by the Lehigh County Authority which was formed in 1966.