The construction and extension of municipal water supplies has been an issue for local councils for more than a century.
Water and sewage systems are expensive additions to a municipality’s infrastructure, and councils have typically constructed such systems only under pressure from residents, health officials, fire insurance companies and provincial officials.
The first municipal water system in the county was that of Guelph, begun in 1883. Water systems at that time, and for decades after, were designed to deal with major fires. Water for household use, of course, was also important, but the capacity to deal with major conflagrations was more important.
By the 1890s, fire insurance adjusters and their provincial association began pressuring municipalities for better fire fighting capacity. Indeed, after a major blaze in downtown Elora, the association threatened to cancel all policies there until the village provided better fire fighting equipment and a source of water.
Such pressure continued during the first half of the 20th century. During that time, most of the towns in Wellington installed water systems. Those systems invariably raised tax rates, but on the other side of the ledger, property owners enjoyed significant reductions in their insurance rates.
After World War II the last of Wellington’s villages began addressing their water situation. Erin was on that list. After a series of major fires in the early 1940s, Erin council was under pressure to improve its fire fighting capacity.
Among the results was a reorganization and re-equipping of the local volunteer fire brigade. That story appeared in this column a couple of years ago. The other initiative was a serious consideration of a municipal water supply. The fire brigade’s sole source of water at the time was the Credit River, and that was less than ideal.
Under pressure from fire insurance underwriters, the Ontario Fire Marshall’s office studied Erin’s situation in detail early in 1947, and presented their findings and recommendations at a meeting on March 31, attended by the volunteer firefighters and the public.
The investigators suggested that the village purchase a properly-equipped fire truck, ladders, hoses and nozzles. They suggested a fogging-type nozzle that would conserve water. A ball-park figure for that equipment was $6,000. Along with the equipment, the brigade should be properly organized, with regular training sessions.
As well, they considered that a proper solution to Erin’s fire fighting capacity would be a municipal water system. The recommended fire fighting equipment would be fully compatible with either river water or a municipal system.
That meeting seemed to stir up the public and Erin’s councillors. The village’s equipment, except for a fairly new pump, was antique in vintage. Citizens were impressed by the assertion at the meeting that a properly equipped fire brigade could extinguish 90% of fires before they did any major damage. R.W. Hull, publisher of the Erin Advocate, noted that the cost of the recommended equipment was far less than the loss that would be sustained in one major fire.
The other part of the issue concerned a municipal water system. That concept, in fact, had been under informal discussion for two years by that time. Advocates of a water system noted that the village’s only outstanding debenture issue, for the school, would be paid off in 1949. Borrowing for a water system, therefore, would have little impact on the current tax rates.
Erin council, after years of dawdling, acted quickly when they saw that public sentiment seemed to favour a water system.
Council engaged the Toronto engineering firm of Proctor, Redfern & Laughlin to study the feasibility of a system. The firm worked quickly, presenting its report to council and the public at a meeting on May 19, just six weeks after the village heard the report of the Fire Marshall.
The engineers designed a system consisting of a main on Main Street, extending from the corner of the Guelph Road north to a point beyond the Fall Fair grounds, with additional pipes on six of the side streets. A stand pipe, containing 100,000 gallons, would be located on a hill just west of the village, at a height of 125 feet. An electric pump would keep the level topped up, with a gasoline-powered backup system.
The location of the well was not determined, but the engineers considered a site near the Erin creamery would likely be the best choice. The well would go down between 200 and 250 feet.
That would ensure an ample and reliable supply of water, with no danger of groundwater pollution.
Proctor’s report placed the cost of the system at $40,000, complete with all equipment. Proctor assured the meeting that, spread over a 20-year term, a debenture for that amount would result in no change in tax rates, the payments being roughly equal to the expiring school debenture.
Ongoing costs of the system would be met by a monthly charge of $2 per residential customer for an unlimited quantity of water. Commercial rates would be higher, but still modest. Proctor stated that the charge was less than the ongoing costs of most private water systems.
The audience posed many questions. Proctor stated that only those who had a water main fronting their properties would be taxed.
There was loud approval for the idea of extending the main farther north, to the railway station and the grain elevator.
Some people in the audience expressed concern that residents on the side streets would not be served by the system.
Proctor assured them that the system could be extended on those streets to serve any households that desired municipal water.
Council decided to hold a vote on whether to proceed with the water system. The discussion that night about new equipment for the fire brigade was brief. The meeting was unanimous in recommending to council to proceed immediately with investigating and purchasing the new apparatus.
At the end of the meeting an insurance agent rose to endorse the equipment purchase and the water works. He told those present that new equipment and a water system would lower fire insurance rates in Erin by 25% to 30%. By his calculation, the cost could by repaid by a debenture issue over 10 years, rather than 20, with no impact on the tax rate from its current level.
People went home from he meeting that night full of enthusiasm, but a few had some restraint in their enthusiasm.
The $40,000 cost of the proposed system seemed reasonable, but there was already pressure to extend the main to the CPR station and to add more lateral lines on the side streets. That would raise the cost considerably.
As well, inflation had gripped the country by 1947, and that meant the costs would be much higher when it came time to finance the project. There was also the issue of securing a low tender for the work.
Many municipalities were then undertaking infrastructure expansions and improvements. That meant that tenders often came in at much higher amounts than originally estimated.
Next week: The further course of the project in 1947.