Description of Historic Place

The Delta Waterworks is located within Watershed Park along the Kittson Parkway in the community of North Delta, British Columbia. At one time, the Waterworks consisted of kilometres of wooden pipe that would carry water to different Delta communities. Today, the site consists of a one-storey concrete pumphouse, a water tower, and several artesian wells, all of which can be found along 'Artesian Trail' near the centre of the 153-hectare Watershed Park.

Heritage Value

The Delta Waterworks is valued as a reflection of the origins of Delta's water supply and are an integral link to the population and agricultural development of the Ladner and wider Delta communities. Artesian wells were established in what is now Watershed Park in the early 1900s, when the community was first settled and logging of the first growth forest began. The concrete pumphouse was constructed in 1906. In April of 1910, over 80 kilometres of wooden pipe was purchased from the Pacific Coast Pipe Company for $79,820.10, an expenditure that was approved by Reeve Harry J. Hutcherson and Council. The pipes consisted of wooden planks secured with heavy wire, which stretched across 73 hectares of land. This system, known as the Delta Waterworks, functioned by filtering fresh spring water up through a layer of white sand. The water was then collected in a holding well, which was later transferred to a reservoir. The engineer and designer of the Waterworks, Colonel E.T. Tracy, reported that the system was designed to provide 230 litres of clean drinking water to each of 10,000 people per day. Branches of the Delta Waterworks provided water to the flatlands of Delta, including the Village of Ladner; other communities, such as North Delta, had to rely on the artesian wells and local springs for their water supply.

The Delta Waterworks is additionally significant for its evolution over time to suit the growing Delta community. Delta acquired the land that now makes up Watershed Park in the 1920s and 1930s in order to secure a reliable water supply for the wider surrounding community, including North Delta. Due to Delta's early and continued dependence on the agricultural industry and the steadily growing population, the land was a critical acquisition in the maintenance of the local economic livelihood of the people of Delta. In the 1940s, the original wooden pipes were replaced with cast iron pipes. Watershed Park still contains the original artesian wells and fresh water springs that supplied water to the area, some of which still pump fresh water to the surface, though now the water flows into Watershed Creek. The Waterworks still functions as an emergency backup for the local water supply system.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Delta Waterworks include its:

- continuous use as part of the local water supply
- location in historic Watershed Park
- original concrete water tower
- original concrete pumphouse