JUST IN TIME
The heights and depths of water infrastructure As April showers turn to May flowers, and as we begin to unwind our garden hoses in anticipation of another season of fresh vegetables and verdant lawns rivalling that of the best-kept golf course, it’s hard to ignore water — even though we do tend to take it for granted. Those of us who live in town know there is there is an elaborate labyrinth of pipes and culverts beneath our feet, and we may be vaguely aware that these are connected to imposing water towers that let us know that we have arrived in Lindsay (or Fenelon Falls, or Bobcaygeon.) But how
IAN McKECHNIE Writer-at-large
the newly completed system consisted of seven miles’ worth of cast-iron pipes all linked back to a water tower — properly called a standpipe — at the corner of Jane and Henry streets beside Ross Memorial Hospital. Fabricated by the Phoenix Manufacturing Company, this 32-metre-high steel structure was, at full capacity, capable of supplying Lindsay with water for a period of 12 hours before filling up again. By 1931, this standpipe had been replaced with a new tower at the same location. This tower, dubbed
The old Lindsay water tower in 2006, near Ross Memorial Hospital. Photo: Jim McKechnie.
does water get from there to here? How does it all work? And if you live in a rural area and are not connected to the municipal water system, how do you find water — the world’s most precious natural resource — and extract it? Prior to 1892, Lindsay residents had to make do with wells on private property. Construction began in June of that year on what would become the town’s first water system. As reported in the Canadian Post on Oct. 21, 1892,
by long-time residents as the “old water tower,” was built by the Dominion Bridge Co., and had a capacity of just over a million litres. It lasted until the autumn of 2006, when a new underground reservoir was built at the west end of Thornhill Road, behind the current Loblaws, to serve the same function. During the demolition process, a Grade 10 history class at LCVI was led outside during the demolition process to
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