By Robb Helfrick

When steep clouds hover over the nearby Appalachian Mountains, they release refreshing rain into a diverse and dynamic ecosystem. Spring water also bubbles up beneath this forested landscape, and together these converging liquid resources form a watershed of wonder. With contemporary names like Rattlesnake Run, Bailey Spring, Swift Run, and the famous Antietam Creek, these waters cascading from the mountains have nourished the Cumberland Valley for eons.

This water not only feeds the native flora and fauna, but is also a lifeline for the communities downstream. One of these towns is Waynesboro. In a process that required persistence and ingenuity over many decades, these precious waters were collected, screened, purified and enriched.

Turn on the tap and this liquid gold is constantly flowing – clear, cold and wet. But this seemingly mundane resource should never be taken for granted. A closer look reveals many of the challenges and successes Waynesboro’s water system has overcome.

Despite the short 7-mile distance from the mountain spring to the thirsty consumer, this journey of water has taken more than 140 years for the system to reach its current high standards. The story of Waynesboro water is one of intelligent engineering and constant improvement.

In the early days of human settlement, people collected water by simple means, mostly through individual effort. At that time, homesteads were built near natural water sources such as springs or streams, as this supply was as vital as oxygen. A well was dug or a pump installed and water was collected in cisterns or stored in simple vessels.

Waynesboro once had a public pump on the town square. According to local legend, Confederate General Robert E. Lee stopped at this spot to water his horse Traveler during the retreat from Gettysburg in 1863.

As villages became towns and people gathered in larger numbers, more sophisticated water systems were needed for transportation, storage, and safe sanitation. In Waynesboro, a new era ushered in a series of public works projects that lasted for over a century. These efforts would eventually cost tens of millions of dollars.

By the 1880s, Waynesboro was a thriving town of nearly 5,000 residents. Not only did residents use the water for domestic use and agriculture, but new fire departments needed a ready supply to put out fires. Local industry also needed plenty of water to power growing businesses.

The first fire engine hit Waynesboro’s streets in 1879. Industrial giants Frick Company and Geiser Manufacturing had set up shop several years earlier, and others such as the Landis Machine Company soon followed. The town eventually developed into an industrial center. The Waynesboro Water Company was incorporated on July 11, 1882. Fittingly, the community’s first foray into water management as a separate industry came during an important period of local development.

Waynesboro’s first water investors were not just residents of the borough; other backers came from Philadelphia. The Waynesboro Water Company eventually issued 12,000 shares. This new company quickly went to work, laying seven miles of pipe in the city and country, ranging in diameter from 4 to 12 inches. The American Construction Company of Philadelphia was the contractor for the project.

Inadequate water pressure was a transportation problem, so a pumping station was built at Hopewell Mills, three miles from Waynesboro. Geiser Manufacturing locomotive boilers powered these pumps, which pumped water toward town at 500 gallons per minute.

In 1883, a new reservoir with a capacity of 1.4 million gallons was built on a hill on Mt. Airy Avenue. This reservoir was 140 feet above the Waynesboro town square, which was the height of the spire of Trinity Church. This difference in elevation was crucial. Gravity was a water system’s best friend.

An article in a local newspaper from the time described the process involved in transporting the mountain water to the city and storing it there. “The water passes through several sieves and is filtered before being discharged into the reservoir. The water is absolutely pure and cannot be contaminated.”

As Waynesboro prospered, new water mains were laid in the Old Forge area in 1900. This allowed the emerging water system to tap into the waters of Rattlesnake Run, Swift Run, and the East Branch of Antietam Creek, supplementing the original water source, Bailey Spring. In 1914, a rustic caretaker’s house was built in Old Forge. The Water Company paid its workers the standard wage of the time: 11 cents an hour.

A few years later, just before World War I, Waynesboro residents were puzzled by the different rates charged by their local water company. The Leland Hotel – later the Anthony Wayne Hotel – had to pay $50 per year for water usage. However, the Central Hotel (now known as the White Swan building) paid only $38.50 for its annual water bill. Apartment buildings often paid the same rate as single-family homes.

In 1920, the Borough of Waynesboro inquired about purchasing the privately owned Waynesboro Water Company. That company claimed its company was worth $420,000. The Waynesboro City Council, led by President J.W. Crest, estimated the company’s value at $224,000. On July 1, 1922, the two parties met in the Wayne Building during a meeting in the center. The Borough of Waynesboro became the new owner of the water system for $330,000. The sellers, 200 former shareholders who held between 1 and 400 shares, received $27.50 per share.

Soon after, another phase of construction began. In 1928, a new 5 million gallon reservoir was built at Old Forge. The following year, the aging Mt. Airy Reservoir was replaced with an upgraded Waynesboro Basin, which had twice the storage capacity (3.5 million gallons) and was located on N. Broad Street. The total cost of these infrastructure improvements was $99,340.

These projects were enough to get Waynesboro through World War II, but more improvements were needed in the postwar period. The town needed to improve its water supply. And once again, community leaders stepped up to the plate.

The Borough Authority was formed in November 1951 with an ambitious goal: to build a gigantic Antietam Reservoir in the Appalachian Mountains. The proposed site covered 1,100 acres and was located in Adams County. With earthen embankments holding back an impressive 150 million gallons of water, the new reservoir cost $520,000 when it was completed in 1952. Heavy rains that year quickly filled the once-empty basin to the brim, eight months ahead of schedule.

After this significant accomplishment, the city government did not rest on its laurels. In 1968, a dedicated pipeline and pumping station were built, and in 1974, the original Old Forge Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed. This latter project treated 3 million gallons of water per day. In 1978, the existing reservoir in the city was replaced with a massive above-ground green water tank that held 3.5 million gallons. The old reservoir was eventually filled in.

In 1979, a new director was appointed for Waynesboro’s water system: Jon Fleagle. Fleagle is a U.S. Army veteran and a graduate of Penn State University. He is also a licensed engineer in Pennsylvania, which qualifies him to oversee municipal water management projects. Under Fleagle’s leadership, Waynesboro’s water system has continued to innovate and grow. Fleagle also serves as a city councilman for Waynesboro Ward 2 and as a board member of the Museum of Industry.

In 1993, a second Old Forge water treatment plant was built. This $7 million project now treats 4 million gallons per day. A replacement water source in Waynesboro, Well Number 2, was tapped in 2009 and produces 250 gallons per minute at a cost of $2.6 million.

A visit to the current Old Forge Wastewater Treatment Plant is an education in chemistry and care. Like most modern plants, this plant is computer controlled and automated, but dedicated staff on duty 24/7 carefully monitor all displays and related readings on the control panel and can take over manual control of the plant at any time if necessary.

Plant personnel monitor all incoming and outgoing water throughout the treatment process. They monitor alkalinity, hardness, color and turbidity, as well as many other properties. The raw water is filtered at a microscopic level using four clarifiers and four large filters. This finely tuned equipment ensures that the finished product achieves drinking water safety standards that far exceed legal requirements. Every citizen of Waynesboro should be grateful that this high level of quality is maintained.

Today, Waynesboro uses 1.4 million gallons of water daily. Treatment capacity is 4 million gallons per day, and water flows through 101 miles of pipeline. With 150 million gallons of water stored in a scenic reservoir for not-so-rainy days, the water system’s 8,100 customers enjoy a reliable supply and protection from drought.

After 45 years in the water industry and as the current chairman of the county board, Fleagle is justifiably proud of the system’s accomplishments. “We just renovated the Old Forge plant in the last six months,” Fleagle said. “We replaced the filters and upgraded the computer systems.” This latest project cost $5 million. An emergency spillway for the Antietam Reservoir is also in the works as the Waynesboro Water System continues to invest in the community’s future.

In a 1970s newspaper column, famed writer and historian Wib Davis praised Waynesboro’s drinking water. He said, with obvious pride in his hometown, that the community enjoyed “the best water in the world.” Given the pure source of Appalachian rainwater and the local water system’s history of innovation and excellence, it stands to reason that Wib was right. Flowing daily like a liquid breath of fresh air, Waynesboro’s water is an elixir of life.