Building Lake Montebello’s water system
Drinking water in Baltimore before the turn of the 20th century was, to put it mildly, unsanitary. Unfiltered water from streams, wells and springs were funneled to reservoirs throughout the city. Outbreaks of disease from waterborne pathogens were common, as were complaints of odor and taste.
In 1881, the Gunpowder Falls was connected to Lake Montebello, a new reservoir that improved water conditions throughout the city. But it wasn’t until Sept. 13, 1915 — 100 years ago this week — that the city’s most significant water-related development occurred with the opening of the filtration plant at the lake. It was called one of the “biggest and most important undertakings in the history of the city” by Robert L. Clemmitt, the city’s acting water engineer and president of the water board.
On Saturday, the city will celebrate the Montebello Centennial with music, activities, historical exhibits and more.
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- Building the Gatehouse at Lake Montebello began around 1879. This is a section of the tunnel/conduit from Loch Raven. (Photo courtesy of Baltimore’s Department of Public Works)
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- A view of Lake Montebello, circa 1912. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- The scene at Lake Montebello on Sept. 13, 1915. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A view of Lake Montebello on Aug. 1, 1914. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A view of the construction of the Loch Raven dam. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- Groundbreaking at the Lock Raven dam in 1912. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A view of construction at Lake Montebello on May 21, 1914. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A look inside the gatehouse at Lake Montebello. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A view of the Gunpowder Pipe. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A view of the construction of the Montebello Filtration Plant. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A view of construction at Lake Montebello in 1925. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- A peek into the gatehouse at Lake Montebello. (Photo courtesy of Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- The gatehouse is pictured right by the lake. It’s the building with the high-peak. (Photo by Kurt Kocher, 2010)
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- This state historical marker at Lake Montebello will be unveiled Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
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- This state historical marker at Lake Montebello will be unveiled Sept. 19, 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Baltimore Department of Public Works)
“We want to show the importance of drinking water and what the city is doing to preserve the outstanding system that we have,” said Kurt Kocher, spokesman for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.
The creation of the water filtration system at Lake Montebello was the turning point for healthy drinking water in the city. No longer would “fish, twigs, leaves and anything else that would be going through to the gatehouse” be distributed to the city, Kocher said. Three years later, a Johns Hopkins graduate and sanitary engineer named Abel Wolman developed a chlorination process that would change healthy drinking water forever.
At the Montebello Centennial, the history of the gatehouse and water filtration system will be on display through exhibits and tours of the facilities. There will be three musical acts, disc golf demonstrations, food trucks, a beer garden, giveaways, arts and crafts, a bounce house and more.
The event starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. For more information, click here.
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