It's Water Wisdom Wednesday! There's a first for everything. Let's kick off the first Water Wisdom Wednesday for March with a few Raleigh Water "firsts" you might not know.
- Raleigh's first water system was completed in September 1818. The pumps were operated by a waterwheel on Rocky Branch Creek, and the water flowed by gravity through wooden spouts along Hargett and Fayetteville streets.
- The City first used Lake Raleigh as its reservoir in 1913. The City eventually switched to using a larger reservoir due to the growing City population.
- The Neuse River Wastewater Treatment Plant first opened in October 1977. This is the City's main wastewater treatment plant to this day.
- Raleigh first used Lake Benson and Lake Wheeler as water sources in 2010. Both lakes are still vital in Raleigh Water's supply system today.
- Raleigh Water won the "Best Tasting Water" award at the NC One Water Conference for the first time in 2022. The following year, the City won again and ranked third best in an international taste-testing competition.
Raleigh Water has evolved and continues to grow everyday... These first facts are just a "drop" in the City's water bucket.