Newport Waterworks
From Pieces of the Past, Volume 1, page 269 by Jim Reis and
printed here with his permission.
The drive for construction of public waterworks in Newport began
in earnest in 1857. Up to that point and even later in rural areas, people
depended on wells and cisterns for their water. That worked well when
there were few people in the area. But as they crowed together in Newport,
it became harder to find fresh water. Sewage from outhouses and waste from
industry contaminated many wells.
Stories in 1857 said a push was under way to solve the water problem. One solution discussed in the state legislature was damming the mouth of the Licking River and constructing a canal around Covington. The canal would tie into Willow Run Creek and back into the Ohio River. Proponents said the project would improve Licking River boat traffic and provide a pool of water for a Covington waterworks. The project never got off the ground.
A Covington Journal article in 1857 suggested that Newport and Covington build a joint waterworks. A Newport and Covington waterworks company was incorporated on March 1, 1860, but it never got beyond the paperwork.
Newport approved plans for its own waterworks
in 1871. It built a reservoir at the head of the east branch of Taylor's
Creek in the Highlands, now Ft. Thomas, with a pump house along the Ohio River.
Water began to flow into Newport in 1873. The waterworks cost $610,735,
and it proved to be a good investment. Improvements have been made but
Newport still uses its original reservoir site. Newport added a filtration
plant in the 1920s and the Newport Water District still operates today.