The History of the Waterworks

Although there are two newer, smaller wellfields located in the city, most of the water delivered to your home comes from the North Main Street Wellfield, which has been a source of drinking water for over one hundred years. In 1884, the Elkhart Water Company, a private firm, was established to deliver water to the city. The original water works facility was located here along North Main Street, and consisted of four dug wells, a sand trap, and a two millon gallon underground storage tank. The ponds in the wellfield are man-made and contribute to recharging the groundwater aquifer.

On June 10, 1925, the City of Elkhart purchased the water company for $925,000. Coal-fired steam engines originally powered the pumps that distributed water throughout Elkhart. In 1948, the City of Elkhart Water Company replaced the original steam engines with electric engines.

Presently, 19 wells located in this field can pump over 15 million gallons of water a day.