IN SEARCH OF WATER

Part three -- 1935 to Present

Mar 14, 1935 -- “Sealed proposals, addressed to W. H. Wentland, Mayor, City of Manor, Texas, for the construction and installation of Water Works Supply and Distribution System in accordance with the plans, specifications, and instructions to bidders, prepared by M. C. St. John, Engineer, will be received at the office of the Secretary, Manor, Texas until 2:00 p.m. March 22, 1935, and then be publicly opened and read. 

Separate proposals will be received as follows: 

Section No. 1. General Contract – Complete Water Distribution System, Pumping Station, Building,
Concrete Storage Reservoir, and All Foundations.
Section No. 2. Elevated Water Tank and Tower
Section No. 3. 3500 ft. Water Well, and Equipment

Feb 23, 1936 -- “Water, water, everywhere. That, in short, will be the picture in Manor just as soon as construction of a distribution system is completed. Drillers in charge of the 3001-foot well late Thursday completed setting casing and the artesian well was opened to flow a steady stream into a ditch that will carry the water away and permit the well to clean itself out…The distribution system will include an elevated tank of 50,000 gallons capacity, service pumps to carry the water from the top of the artesian flow into the tank, necessary fire-fighting attachments and approximately 25,000 feet of mains and pipes to carry the water to the homes and businesses within the city limits…” 

Dec 20, 1936 -- “Manor city council Thursday afternoon accepted a newly completed water works system built as a PWA project under contract by Dickson and McCarty of San Antonio. The new water system is supplied from an artesian well recently dug to a depth of 3001 feet, which engineers estimate to be capable of furnishing water to a town of four or five times the size if Manor.”

Oct 7, 1959 -- “The possibility of obtaining state approval of the Manor water supply is being explored here.”

Feb 20, 1968 -- “Progress made toward securing an adequate water supply for the Manor-Pflugerville sector of Travis County will be reported by David Samuelson, chairman of the steering committee in a meeting of the Manville Water Supply Corporation at Richland Hall in the Cele community Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.”

Oct 19, 1972 -- “Manor Thursday became the fourth city in the nation entitled to receive almost total federal funding of a complete revamping of its municipal water and sewer systems, according to U.S. Rep. Jake Pickle. The department of housing and urban development will grant the city $571, 800 to replace old water distribution lines, to tie into the City of Austin’s water supply system….’Now that we have the green light on Manor as well as the Manville Water Supply system (funded this past summer) the entire northeast section of Travis County should blossom and grow’, said the congressman.”

Apr 27, 1974 -- “…the Water Development Board helped the City of Manor obtain the financing from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for a $190,000 water well the city decided to drill rather than buy water from Austin…Manor officials originally went to Austin for water and received an offer which they characterized as very, very restrictive. Austin officials had offered to extend a 12-inch water main to Manor and pick up half the cost.” 

2018 - According to the City of Manor website, Manor currently receives its water from three sources;
1. Manville Water Supply Corporation - "Immediately following an extensive drought in Travis County in April, 1967, a group of interested farm families met to discuss the feasibility of organizing a Farmers Home Administration Water System to serve the rural areas outside Manor, Pflugerville, Richland, Cele, New Sweden and other communities in the northeastern section of Travis County. This forward thinking group along with the help of the Farmers Home Administration secured design expertise and financing and this plan was put into motion. Since that time, our membership has grown to over 8000 members and the service area has been extended to include rural areas as well as urban areas in the cities and towns listed above." (Manville WSC website)

2. Blue Water Systems - "BlueWater delivers water through a 53 mile, 30-inch diameter pipeline from Burleson County to a delivery point in Manor, Texas. The BlueWater 130 Project provides water to the City of Manor, Manville Water Supply Corporation, SouthWest Water Company, and several Municipal Utility Districts along SH 130."  (Blue Water Systems website)  

3. Colorado River Alluvium Aquifer - "An important local aquifer, the Colorado River Alluvial Aquifer is located in eastern Travis County...Travis County is underlain by significant groundwater aquifers...These underground freshwater sources of groundwater include the Colorado River Alluvium Aquifer"      (www.traviscountytx.gov/tnr/environmental-quality/
water-quality/travis-county-aquifers)

IN SEARCH OF WATER

Part Two  -- 1898 to 1925

Jan 1, 1898  --  page 348 from a New York publication called The Electrical Age

Mar 18, 1898  --  “Our citizens are much elated over the fact that a second stream of water was struck in the artesian well today. The well is now 2500 feet deep, and the flow now reached is supposed to be in the Trinity sands, and it is expected that the water will be plentiful and good for all purposes. If this proves to be the case it will be a great blessing to our community, and will aid in the building up of Manor more than anything else could.”

Mar 24, 1898  --  “Drilling on the artesian well was suspended today on account of being through the Trinity sand’s water strata. The well is now 2620 feet deep, and while the amount of the flow cannot be determined until the first water is piped off, all the drillers express confidence in the flow being sufficient for all purposes. The water is of fine quality and there is general rejoicing over the result. Messrs. Wildbahn & Lancaster, to whom the well now belongs, will push the work of piping off the good water as fast as possible, and ere long ii is expected we will have a first-class system of waterworks. It is impossible to estimate the benefit that Manor will receive from having pure and everlasting water. Her citizens have expended over $6000 for the accomplishment which has just been achieved, and the two gentlemen who took up and carried on the good work are to be praised for their perseverance against all odds. We predict great improvements in all business enterprises and real estate investments.”

Mar 24, 1898  --  From the Brenham Daily Banner  --  “The Manor artesian well company struck a very strong flow of good water last Thursday at a depth of 2700 feet. It is the company’s intention to separate the two flows, supplying the town with the good water and utilizing the mineral stream to furnish the town with an electric light system.”

Jun 21, 1898  --  “There is great rejoicing again over the artesian well. The good water has been successfully piped off, and in spite of the many misfortunes, Manor now has a flow of pure artesian water. The value to our town can not be estimated.”

Jul 23, 1899  --  “Manor has an artesian well yielding and abundance of mineral water resembling that on the Capitol grounds in Austin. The enterprise of sinking the well was started by a stock company that raised $4000 to begin the work. Work was commenced in September, 1895, and at a depth of 1000 feet the tools were lost and a new hole had to be sunk. At 1250 feet a gusher strongly impregnated with sulphureted hydrogen was struck. The money becoming exhausted, $2000 was raised and the hole was sunk deeper. At 2200 feet the entire $6000 was gone, and no good water was in site. The stockholders sold out to J. E. Wildbahn, who invested $2500 more, sinking the hole to 2600 feet, where the purest flow was struck. The well is now leased to W. J. Daugherty, who uses it at the Manor Ginnery and furnished some twenty or twenty-five homes with water by means of a system of pipes.”

May 24, 1900

Aug 9, 1925  --  “Suggestions for supplying Manor with water from the Austin system which were made by Commissioner C. N. Avery before the board of control Friday will meet with opposition if the plan is ever brought before the city council, Commissioner Harry L. Haynes of the finance department, said Saturday after hearing the proposal….’What right do we have to give Manor way out yonder, city water?’, he said. ‘In a short time we might be placing water all over the county.’ ”

Part three -- 1935 to Present