f� CONTENTS \' 1.-�\ /\ 0 -- 11 Cl\s \..0 v ' � ?\J Acknoi11ledg1nent .....................................................2 Introduction ........................................................3 Pre-History ........................................................4 A Water Works Of Our Own ........................................... 11 WorldWarI:1914-1918 ..............................................16 WorldWarII: 1941-1945 ............................................ 20 A Flood ofGrowth andImprovement ..................................... 24 Fluoridation Question Here ToStay ...................................... 25 Adding Sewage ToThe Mix ............................................ 26 Water: Pure, Not Simple .............................................. 35 January 1, 1971: Columbus Becomes Georgia's First Consolidated City and County Government; One ofSixteen in Nation! ....................... 37 Getting Awards, Still Fighting Battles ......................................3 9 Making Lemonade From Lemons .........................................42 Rolling On ........................................................47 Put Our Service to the Test ..............................................48 Board ofWater Commissioners .......................................... 51 Columbus WaterWorks Presidents .........................................53 ColumbusWater Works Employees .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .5 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS "There are stories all around you here, open up your ears and eyes. There are antebellum remnants near that point to days gone by ... and as long as the Chattahoochee runs, and as long as the sun shines down, the living's fine in this home of mine, the place called Rivertown." Columbus Water Works wishes to acknowledge the followingindividuals, who assisted greatly in preparing this historic document: Billy Turner,Bob Tant,Jim Patterson,Beth Bickerstaff,Becky Butts, TerriMor ris and writer Mandy Ochoa Williams. A special thank you to Allen Levi for allowing us to use the lyricson his "Rivertown" album. He welcomes visitors to his website: www.allenlevi.com. Photographs were obtained fromthe following: Columbus JiVlzterWork s Brady B. Bynum, Photographer Cawthorne Photography Camera 1 Columbus: Georgia's Fall Line "Trading Town"by Joseph B. Mahan "Images: A Pictorial History ofColumb us, Georgia" by F.Cl ason Kyle "Heritage Park:A Celebration of the Industrial Heritage ofColumbus , Georgia" by Columbus Historic Foundation, Inc. Editors: Beth Bickersta.ff,JimPatterson, Bob Tant Pictorial Research: Bob Tantand Beth Bickerstaff • INTRODUCTION How does a city come to be referred to by a nativeson as "Rivertown"? In the case of Columbus, Georgia, singer-songwriterAllen Levi recognized the vital importance of the Chattahoochee River to his hometown forbeauty, recreation, transportation, and industry.But, perhaps its most important use is as a source of safe drinking and household water for a large, thriving community. While Levi wrote the songs of his "Rivertown" album about the city, their lyrics apply equally to the history of the Columbus Water Works - now 100 years rich. For the history of this public utilityin many ways reflects the town's history. Columbus has been described as a "charming city ... located on the east bank of the Chattahoochee River. Most of the city, particularly the older portion,is located on the river's flood plain, but above the normal river floodlevel. To the east, the ground rises sharply from 100 to 200 feet to gently rolling terrain.Just south of the city is the Fort Benning Military Reservation, a permanent Army Post."T hus wrote the late George R. Lowe Jr., a longtime general manager of the Columbus Water Works in a 1953 publication. General Manager George R. Lowe, Jr. Many of the same issues that have faced the leaders of our community through showing section of wooden pipe, which was the years concerned the historical figures of the Columbus Water Works. In many excavated in December 1938 from the cases, the leaders were the same, familiar names that drove industry, banking, the arts, education, and agriculture. intersection of 2nd Avenue and 12th Street. So let's open our ears and eyes, to paraphrase Allen Levi, and learn a little about how Columbus Water Works has helped shape the last 100 years of our river town's story. 0 • PRE-HISTORY "The river runs 300 miles; there's a fallline half way down, and it's there you'll find this home of mine, in a place called Rivertown... " ChattahoocheeRiver in the vicinity of the present eforethere was Columbus Water Works, there was water here. In fact,scientists tell us the day crossing of the J.R. water cycle has been going on since the first clouds formed and the first rains fell, Allen Parkway. B transferring water again and again from the surface of the land and water to the sky and back. ("The Water Sourcebook," a series of classroom activities produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Te nnessee Valley Authority Environmental Education Section, the Georgia Water Wise Council, Sci-trek, and the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service College of Agriculture.) The Chattahoochee River valley, which has been inhabited by people since prehistoric times, was home to a few hundred permanent settlers by around 1819, mostly because it was situated at a good, briskly flowingbody of water that had served Native Americans long beforetheir arrival. "Besides serving as a boating thoroughfare,the Chattahoochee beckoned swimmers to enjoy its coolness on a midsummer's day. Part recreation site, part foodsource, part transportation artery, part trail marker, part spirit, the Chattahoochee was more important to Native Americans than modern man can ever appreciate." ("Flowing Through Time:A History of the Lower Chattahoochee River," by Lynn Willoughby,The University of Alabama Press, 1999.) Chattahoochee River Photo taken along a section • of river now submerged under Lake Oliver. Water, "which all Southeastern Indians regarded with superstitious According to a Muscogee Indian language awe, was especially important to the Creeks. Not only did they dictionary, the word "chate" means red, bathe ritually in water every morning, but they also associated many strange creatures and spirits - 'masters of the waters' - with the and "lwchee" means river, according to creeks, lakes, rivers, and sinkholes of the area," wrote local historian Albert Pike, "Co111parative Dictionary of and retired journalist Billy Winn. ("The Old Beloved Path: Daily Hitchiti,Aliba111a, Koasati, Choctau;, LifeAmong the Indians of the Chattahoochee River Valley", copyright 1992 byThe Historic Chattahoochee Conunission, Yuchi, Natchez, and Shawnee," Eufaula,Alabama, andThe Columbus Museum, Columbus, (Smithsonian Institution, no date.) This Georgia.) Georgia lawmakers encouraged settlement of the former Indian i1ifor111ation camefro111 local historians lands between the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers by holding a John S. Lupold and Frank T Schnell in a 0 land lottery. Georgia residents drew lots for free homesteads in the 1991 publicationfor Uptown Colu111b11s. Creeks' former homeland. Naturally, land along the rivers was most prized, and that at the head of the Chattahoochee was so valuable it was not included in the giveaway. An Enquirer newspaper article August 9, 1828, described Columbus' streets: "The streets running parallelwith the river are 9 in number, and are all 132feet wide, except Broad, which is 164feet wide. The cross streets are 13 in number, and are 99feet wide. From the width ofthe streets, an elegant and airy appearance is given to the town. Thereis a wide expanse leftbetwe en_ the river and the townfor a promenade, which, efter it shall have been properly prepared, will form one ofthe handsomest and most romantic walks in the state.All along the banks ofthe river opposite the town,Jine, pure water gushes out, which affordsnot only a great convenience, but a great luxury to citizens." Although water was used Leonard beforeand since the town's Spring historic formalinception in 1828, marker on the first officialsource of Country Club water was Leonard Spring Road, site of (also called Garrard Columbus' Spring), located close to first water what are now Country supply. Club Apartments in Columbus-(on Country Club Road, east of Cherokee Avenue.) At the time, the spring was about three miles from Columbus. From this spring, a series of pine log pipes of three to fourinches in diameter carried water to Broad Street, by way of Randolph Street, which is now 12th Street.At several intersections, riser pipes with faucets were installed, and people would come with pitchers and buckets, paying five cents per vessel, or the then-existingrate of$25 per thousand gallons undelivered.Those were the days when the weekly bath was a real luxury, and it's likely one tub of water sufficedfor the whole family. A historic marker placed at Leonard Spring in 1989 reads: "In 1839, the citizens.first called for the development ef a watenvorkssystem. On this site is located the original source ef waterfor drinking and general household usefor Columbus. Beginning in 1844, Leonard Spring, with a discharge ef 200,000 gallons a day, Pine Log Pipe and Section Columbus first piped water system was constructed of pine logs hollowed out to about four inches in diameter using red-hot ferrules to burn out the openings. One end of the log was sharpened to fit II into the next and caulked to hold in the water. provided water to the City through a series ef wooden