City of Seattle Develops the Watershed

In the late 1890s, the City of Seattle began to develop the Cedar River as its primary municipal water supply source. The Cedar River was perfect with its steady flow, adequate elevation changes for a gravity fed water system, and a terminus in Lake Washington, just east of Seattle. The first parcel of land was acquired 1898 for the purpose of building a diversion dam and intake facility. The following year, City engineers began construction at Landsburg. Municipal water from the Cedar River was first delivered to the citizens of Seattle through Pipeline no. 1 in 1901. The Landsburg facility still serves as a water supply intake for the City.

Acquisition of Land
The City of Seattle vigorously acquired land throughout the watershed. This was done to protect the water from possible contamination from private land, development and fire hazards posed by the presence of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. Condemnation surveys were conducted from 1909 through 1912 to gain ownership of the watershed. The City owned 37,982 acres of land in 1912 . Steady land acquisition since 1913 has allowed City activities like logging, reforestation and removal of above ground structures no longer in use. It has made restricted public access possible.

Hydroelectric power
For nearly one hundred years, the City of Seattle's management of the water supply has proceeded hand in hand with the generation of municipal hydroelectric power. Since 1904, Seattle City Light has operated the Cedar Falls Municipal Power Plant. This is part of an extensive hydroelectric system that now encompasses Chester Morse Lake reservoir, Masonry Dam, the power station at Cedar Falls and transmission lines.