Book description
As good health is inextricably wedded to pure drinking water--and this
particular concern looms larger every day--understanding delivery
systems is almost as important as the water itself. Water for Hartford
chronicles the century-long effort, beginning in the 1850s, to construct
a viable, efficient water system. The story of Hartford's water works is
a fascinating one, for it recalls the hard work, great sacrifice, and
extraordinary engineering feats necessary to deliver wholesome drinking
water to a growing urban center. It also illuminates the ever-changing
social, political, and economic milieu in which it was built.
The story of its construction is also the story of three men--Hiram
Bissell, Ezra Clark, and Caleb Saville. Readers are transported back in
time and given a firsthand glimpse of what these champions of a water
system faced on a daily basis: unforgiving geography, venal politicians,
and an often-indifferent public. The book culminates in the exhilaration
of having built a water works from scratch to deliver clean, safe
drinking water to the masses. Water for Hartford is a human story,
peopled by men of vision and achievement, who understood that their
decisions and actions would affect millions of people for decades to
come. KEVIN MURPHY is a writer whose interest in water systems dates
back to fly-fishing trips in the West Branch Valley of the Farmington
River--below the Metropolitan District Commission's Hogback Reservoir. A
1971 graduate of Villanova University, he worked at the Hartford Courant
through the 1970s and then ran a successful building business until
2000. Today, he writes full time, but still manages to spend summer
afternoons fly-fishing on the Farmington River in and around the tiny
village of Riverton. He is also the author of The Crowbar Governor
(2010).
