Expanding Toronto's Water System Commemorative Plaque, 2020.
File information | File dimensions | File size | Options |
Original JPG File | 8400 × 6515 pixels (54.73 MP) 71.1 cm × 55.2 cm @ 300 PPI |
4.7 MB | Restricted |
Low resolution print | 2000 × 1551 pixels (3.1 MP) 16.9 cm × 13.1 cm @ 300 PPI |
1.4 MB | Restricted |
Screen | 1032 × 800 pixels (0.83 MP) 8.7 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
258 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
8218
Access
Open
Address
75 Rosehill Ave, Toronto, ON M4T 1G4
Date of Creation
2020
Historical Themes
Food and Drink, Health Care, Public Works
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Time Period
1900-1953, 1954-1998, 1999-today
Caption
Expanding Toronto's Water System Commemorative Plaque, 2020.
Description
By the early 1900s, the City of Toronto was increasingly focused on creating a comprehensive municipal drinking water system. The City undertook a major expansion of its facilities and laid kilometres of new pipes and sewers. An upgraded Toronto Island Filtration Plant, with slow sand filters, replaced the filtering basin in 1912. The City’s first sewage plant was completed in 1913. Other improvements to the water system included the St. Clair Reservoir (1931), the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant (1941), and the Parkdale Pumping Station (1954). Many of these projects were led by Commissioner of Works Roland Caldwell Harris. In 1920, water that would be routed to people’s homes was drawn from Lake Ontario, then filtered and chlorinated at the Toronto Island Water Treatment Plant. From there it was pumped to the Rosehill Reservoir for storage and a second addition of chlorine. The water was cleaned twice, nearly eradicating disease, but the process was an inefficient one. To meet increasing demand, the Rosehill Reservoir was expanded and covered in 1966. Fear of contamination from sabotage or nuclear fallout was a factor in capping the reservoir. A new section of David A. Balfour Park on the reservoir roof included a large water feature. The park was extensively renovated along with the reservoir starting in 2018.
Marker lat / long: 43.686525, -79.390453 (WGS84)