Hochquellwasserleitungen

Matt Schofield Hochquellwasserleitungen Hochquellwasserleitungen, or Mountain Spring Pipeline, is a set of three individual aqueducts that come from the mountains, and serve as the water supply for the city of Vienna. Since the water comes from natural springs up high in the mountains, the water is purer than most bottled water brands. In Vienna, instead of buying a bottle of water, the tap water route is a much better way to go. 589 million liters of clear, fresh, unchlorinated water are brought down from the aqueducts everyday. Out of this massive amount of water, on average, only 398 million liters are used daily. Responsible for it all is Municipal Department 31, the cities waterworks, in Vienna. They are in charge of maintenance and operation of the aqueducts. In the start of the 16th century, wells were the source of all freshwater. The quality of this water was not very good due to the amount of clay and subsoil in the wells themselves. The pipes connecting the wells to the city had collapsed. The city had not found a big need for them in the first place until the Great Fire of 1525. Looking into a new water transportation system and source had begun. By 1562, a total of seven wells were built, serving the official source for Vienna. After the population of the city had increased, the need for water was greater. The solution to this problem was pulling water from the Danube River. As polluted as any river is, acts of illness broke out. Soon enough, the population still overpowered the water source, only allowing a few several liters for each citizen a day. By popular demand, a new water supply was desired. In July 12, 1864, a new plan for a 120 kilometer long pipe, with a storage tank, along with a distribution system, was approved. This plan was thought up by Vienna geologists and municipal Eduard Suess along with his colleague Carl Junker. Finally, in 1870 construction was begun on the much needed water system. Three years later, the first well was finished, and a world exhibition was hosted. By 1888, 900,000 civilians were provided with fresh tap water. Today, three of these wells are present, producing enough water for 100,000 households every day. Taking 16 hours to reach the city, the water is worth the wait. Since the water travels down hill from one of the tallest mountains in Austria, it needs no pumps for the 250 meters plus journey. Since 1966 these pumps have been providing enough water for all of Vienna and will be able to do so for much longer.