The Johnstown Water Company supplies the city of Johnstown and boroughs of Brownstown, Dale, Ferndale, Lorain, Southmont and Westmont; also a portion of the townships of Conemaugh, East Taylor, West Taylor, Stonycreek, Lower Yoder and Upper Yoder. The boroughs and the consumers supplied in the townships are mostly residential while the city of Johnstown has numerous large and prosperous enterprises and large industrial establishments.
The territory served by the company lies mostly in the valleys of the Little Conemaugh, Stonycreek and Conemaugh Rivers, excepting the residential sections which are built on the hills adjacent thereto.
The water supply comes from streams tributary to the above rivers on most of which storage reservoirs have been constructed.
The first water supplied was from Wild Cat Intake and Laurel Run Reservoir through a 16-inch and 12-inch cast iron pipe line which extended from the above sources to the intersection of Market and Main Streets in the city of Johnstown. The length of the 16-inch and 12-inch pipe line was 18,000 feet. On the 4th day of July 1868, a fire hydrant was opened at the intersection of Market and Main Streets which inaugurated the first public water supply for Johnstown and the other boroughs.
General Jacob W. Campbell, one of the original members of the Board of Directors, was the first person to install a water system in his home. His residence was at the intersection of Lincoln and Walnut Streets where the First Presbyterian Church now stands.
The drainage area of the Laurel Run watershed contained 18 square miles. In times of drought the supply from the above source was found to be inadequate to meet the demands of the domestic consumers and the requirements of the local industries. In order to augment the supply a small dam was built on the Little Conemaugh River about six miles east of Johnstown during the year 1877. A 20-inch cast iron pipe line 25,550 feet in length was laid from this source into the city of Johnstown.
The population in Johnstown and vicinity at this time was growing rapidly and it became apparent that a greater supply was needed for domestic purposes. Surveys were next made on Mill Run in 1878, on the lands owned by Thankful St. Clair. Lands were purchased and a reservoir of 15,000,000 gallons storage capacity was constructed and called the St. Clair Reservoir. A 12-inch cast iron supply main 17,800 feet long was laid from this source to Main and Walnut Streets. The water was turned into the system during October 1879. The watershed area of St. Clair Reservoir being about 4.85 square miles. This source of supply was abandoned during the year 1919.
Johnstown continued to grow and the demand for water became so great that it was necessary to build an additional storage reservoir. A site for a dam was selected on Millcreek Run. During the year 1884 Millcreek Reservoir No. 1 was constructed storing 32,000,000 gallons of water. A 20-inch cast iron pipe line 21,450 feet in length was laid from this source into the Eighth Ward where it was reduced into a 16- inch and a 12-inch. The 16-inch pipe was extended through the Seventh Ward on Homer Street to Adams Street, connecting with the distribution system at Railroad Street. The 12-inch main was laid through the Eighth Ward by Franklin Street to the intersection of Franklin and South Streets.
When Millcreek Reservoir No. 1 was completed it was thought that from the various sources of supply there would be no need to look for more water. It soon developed after Millcreek Reservoir No. 1 was completed that more water was needed for both manufacturing and domestic purposes. The company decided to tap a source of supply that would be practically unfailing, which was the Sonycreek river going up the river far enough to obtain a good portable water for drinking purposes, and at the same time secure an amply supply for manufacturing use. During the years 1887-1888 surveys were made and the company constructed a small dam and intake about one-third of a mile above the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's Border Station, and laid a 36-inch water main to Ferndale connecting with the 20-inch main from Millcreek Reservoir. The watershed above Border Dam Intake contained an area of 430 square miles.
The Stonycreek supply was ample until about 1897 when it was found more water was needed to supply the consumers and the Stonycreek 36-inch cast iron pipe line was extended to Washington and Clinton Streets. The total length of the pipe line laid was 41,334 feet. When the waters became polluted with mine drainage the Stonycreek supply was used for manufacturing purposes only. Due to abandoning the Stonycreek source of supply for domestic purposes it was necessary to augment the supply for domestic purposes. Therefore, during the years 1898-1900, Millcreek Dam No. 2 was constructed with a storage capacity of 97,000,000 gallons.
When Millcreek Dam No. 2 was completed and the 36-inch Stonycreek cast iron pipe line was laid to the intersection of Washington and Clinton Streets, the Managing Board of the Water company felt that the water problem was solved and the supply would be ample for many years to come. The population of Johnstown continued to increase more rapidly than at any time in the past. In order to meet the demand Dalton Run Dam was built in 1904 with a storage capacity of 130,000,000 gallons. A 16-inch and 20-inch cast iron pipe line was laid a distance of 17,110 feet connecting with the 20-inch and 30-inch main at Benscreek.
About this time the Little Conemaugh River supply was lost for manufacturing purposes due to extensive coal mining operations which prevented the use of the water for boiler purposes. This was a great loss to the company, and in order to partially overcome the same a 20- inch cast iron pipe line was extended upstream from the dam in the Little Conemaugh River to the Saltlick stream at Mineral Point, a distance of 10,629 feet, where the stream flow was used, the watershed area being 12 square miles. About this time it became apparent that the waters of the Stonycreek were being highly contaminated with sewage and mine water and that this supply was about to be lost for domestic use. The company facing this condition decided to build a large reservoir on the Saltlick stream, a tributary to the Little Conemaugh River.
During the years 1911-1914 the Saltlick Dam was built. The capacity of the reservoir is 813,000,000 gallons. The drainage area of the watershed is 11.86 miles.
Due to contamination of the original source of supply, namely, Laurel Run Reservoir, the same was abandoned during the year 1910 and a 24-inch cast iron pipe line extended up Laurel Run stream a distance of one mile.
Immediately after Saltlick Dam was built the construction of Laurel Run Reservoir No. 2 was started. The water from this source of supply was first used during the year 1918 although the dam was not completed until the year 1919.
Due to the drought period in 1922, the Johnstown Water Company decided to construct a dam on the North Fork of Benscreek. The site was selected during the year 1902. A 24-inch cast iron pipe line 11,870 feet long was laid during the year 1910 in order to use the stream flow on the North Fork of Benscreek. The construction of North Fork Dam was completed during the year 1933. The drainage area of North Fork reservoir is 9.79 square miles. The capacity of the reservoir is 1,110,000,000 gallons. The construction of North Fork Dam practically doubled the reservoir storage capacity of the Johnstown Water Company. The average daily amount of water supplied from all the reservoirs is about 13,000,000 gallons per day. The number of consumers is approximately 22,000.
During the year 1906 the company decided to plant pine trees on the various lands which they acquired. The first plantation was made along the Millcreek Road where Westmont Borough and Upper Yoder Township adjoin. As of this date the company has planted 950,000 pine tree seedlings over a period of years. The Johnstown Water Company has the following reservoirs in service as of this date which supply the city of Johnstown and vicinity, namely, North Fork Reservoir, Dalton Run Reservoir, Millcreek Reservoir No. 1, Millcreek Reservoir No. 2, Laurel Run Reservoir, and Saltlick Reservoir. The water supplied from the various reservoirs is sterilized by chloride gas which is a germicide. Daily analyses are made of the raw water and the treated water from each source of supply except Sundays and holidays.
Due to the elevation of some of the territory adjoining the city of Johnstown, it has been necessary to construct six pumping stations. The amount of water pumped is very small in relation to the amount of water supplied directly from the reservoirs by gravity.