We all know that water is essential for human life. And that means that in a city of more than 8 million people, you are going to need a lot of water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to ensure that clean water can be accessed throughout all five boroughs, the City of New York began installing water towers, a water distribution strategy that dates back more than one hundred years. Today, there are more than 17,000 distributed across the city, many of which play a critical role in the city\u2019s iconic skyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some New Yorkers\u2014as well as visitors\u2014might take these water towers for granted. After all, water towers, like many other components of the Big Apple\u2019s truly colossal infrastructure, are something people don\u2019t really need to think about on a regular basis; as long as the water is flowing, who really cares where it comes from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, the history and development of New York\u2019s water tower network is probably quite a bit more interesting than you\u2019d initially assume. Let\u2019s take a closer look at this truly impressive network that is ultimately one of the key things making living in New York possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The land that is currently known as New York City was originally populated by a group of Native Americans known as the Lenape, who named the area Manhatta, a term that can be loosely translated to mean \u201chilly island.\u201d At the time, the Lenape survived on the city\u2019s many rivers and streams. But during the 1600s, Dutch settlers\u2014who then dubbed the city \u201cNew Amsterdam\u201d\u2014began to populate the area; as population density increased and agriculture and industry accelerated, the once clean waterways soon became unpotable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, a group known as the Citizens Association of New York identified the need for infrastructural change. By the 1870s, the Department of Public Works was created and one of their founding goals was to help create a clean water network\u2014these developments also coincided with the increased spread of indoor plumbing systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gradually, top-floor water storage tanks\u2014capable of holding up to 10,000 gallons of water\u2014began emerging across the city, which was continuing to become more and more densely populated. These water tanks were typically kept on the top floors of buildings because, prior to the introduction of the water pump, there was not enough water pressure to reach the higher levels of the city\u2019s ever-growing skyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contrary to the larger water tanks you might find elsewhere across the country, New York\u2019s water tanks were\u2014and still are\u2014relatively small, abundant, and usually made of wood. The wooden tanks, which typically last up to 40 years, rely on gravity and electric pumping in order to effectively distribute water and continue refilling, as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The efficient development of the water tower network helped New York eventually become the most populated city in the world. Perhaps surprisingly, these tanks are built by only three different companies (all three of which are family-owned): American Pipe and Tank, Isseks Brothers, and Rosenwatch Tank Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People might be surprised to learn that, even in the modern era, each of these tanks\u2014which are continually being replaced every few decades\u2014are still often made of wood. However, a wooden tank costs less than a quarter of what it costs to build a steel tank, despite both types of tanks having relatively similar lifespans. Additionally, wooden tanks are easier to repair and replace as needed. And as the tanks become filled with water, they steadily expand outward, causing them to become even more watertight (this is the same sort of physics that is used to help build barrels).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though New York is not the only place in the world to find these sorts of tanks, it is by far the city where they are the most common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more than a century, New Yorkers have taken pride in the expansive, still increasing network of water tanks. Though other methods of distributing water have been introduced over time, you can still find roughly 17,000 tanks scattered throughout the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n