City of Seattle awards contract for construction of Cedar River Pipeline Number Two on August 15, 1908.

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On August 15, 1908, the City of Seattle lets a contract for Cedar River Pipeline Number Two. The contract, prepared by City Engineer R.H. Thomson (1856-1949), calls for the construction of another pipeline from Cedar River to Seattle. Since the construction of Pipeline Number One in 1899, Seattle has grown from a population of 80,600 to one of 237,194, creating the need for more water. The total bid for the contract is $2,565,768.38.

The contract had six subdivisions. Subdivision One called for a new pipe to parallel Pipeline Number One from the intake at Landsburg to Seattle at Beacon Avenue and Forest Street. From there, it was given a new route through Rainier Valley to Volunteer Park.

Subdivision Two covered two Beacon Hill reservoirs (64 and 52 million gallon capacities), and Subdivision Three was for the Maple Leaf reservoir (60 million gallons). Subdivisions Four and Five covered new pipeline extensions. Subdivision Six added the Green Lake reservoir (50 million gallons).

Between the construction of Cedar River Pipelines One and Two, two standpipes had been built in the city: Queen Anne Number Two in 1904, and Volunteer Park in 1907. Each has a capacity of 883,000 gallons. The total water storage in Seattle after the completion of Pipeline Number Two was 270 million gallons.

Sources: Mary McWilliams, Seattle Water Department History 1854-1954 (City of Seattle: Dogwood Press, 1955), 69-70.
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