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Cheesman Reservoir |
A Brief History of
Denver Water
Long before the city of Denver was established, the South Platte River and Cherry Creek were oases for people who traveled the semi-arid Great Plains. These early travelers could do without many things, but not water. That's why pioneers, and the American Indians before them, camped along the banks of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. The first residents of the area drank water directly from the creek and river. Surface wells and buckets of water sufficed for a while as a delivery system, but they soon proved inadequate. Irrigation ditches were the next step forward.
In 1867, City Ditch was completed, connecting the South Plate in the Littleton area to Capitol Hill. Inevitably, the purity of the water in open systems was questioned, and in this case it was with good cause. Shortly after City Ditch was completed, the city became alarmed that loose pigs were contaminating the ditch, raising the threat of cholera. The solution? City Council banished the pigs.
In 1870, when the rapidly-growing community had a population of 4,759, the Denver City Water Company was formed.
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Building a wood stave conduit |
Over the next two decades, ten water companies fought, collapsed, or merged. In 1892, the battle between two water companies became so fierce that the Citizens Water Company, hoping to drive the American Water Works Company of New Jersey out of business, culminated a price-cutting war by offering water for nothing. The Citizens Water Company eventually drove its competitor under. Finally, the Denver City Water Company was merged into the Denver Union Water Company in October 1894, along with several smaller companies serving various parts of growing Denver. Headed by Walter S. Cheesman and David Moffat, the Denver Union Water Company – predecessor of Denver Water – emerged to establish a stable system.
In 1886, the first infiltration (water treatment) system was installed on Cherry Creek, and in 1889 the Platte Canyon Filtration Plant was added to the system.
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Construction of the west portal of Roberts tunnel |
Perhaps the major engineering feat of the early years was construction of Cheesman Dam and Reservoir on the South Platte River. When Cheesman was completed in 1905, it was hailed as the solution to Denver's water storage problems. In the coming years, the system would expand to meet new demand, but Cheesman remains a major accomplishment and keystone for the Denver water needs. It provides nearly 80,000 acre-feet of water to Denver, the third-largest water storage facility in the system.
In 1918, Denver citizens approved a charter amendment creating a five-member Board of Water Comissioners, and they voted to purchase the Denver Union Water Company's water system for $14 million, creating what is today known as Denver Water, or the Denver Water Department.
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Dedication of Gross |
Today, Denver Water serves everyone in the City and County of Denver and nearly 40% of those who live in the suburbs. A system of reservoirs networked by tunnels and canals provides water to more than a million people. Three major treatment plants (Marston, Moffat, and Foothills) maintain water quality, under the watchful eye of the Denver Water Quality Control Laboratory.
Denver Water's Historic
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