The history of the expansion of the water system closely parallels the growth of the city. There were just under 100 miles of water mains in the system at the beginning of 1930. About 25 miles were added during that decade. Although very little main expansion took place during World War II, rapid development following the war resulted in the addition of over 45 miles during the late 1940s. In response to the continued growth of both Springfield's population and the needs of our state government over the next five decades, 60 miles of new main were added in the 1950s; 65 in the 1960s; just under 100 miles in the 1970s; 60 miles in the 1980s; and 130 miles in the 1990s. From 2000 through 2008, approximately 76 miles of new main were added to the system.

Most of Springfield's water main system is composed of durable cast iron pipe, which has a very long useful life cycle under most conditions. Newer mains are constructed of ductile iron, an even more durable product.

For more information about CWLP's water transmission and distribution system, or about the Water Division in general, select any of the topics or subtopics listed in the left-hand column of this page.

Top  l  CWLP Home  l  CWLP Contact Info  l  Search  l  City of Springfield

Last update: 06/01/10