View source for Utilities of Seattle

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
[[Image:Construction of Cedar River Pipeline, 1900.jpg|thumb|Laying pipe to bring water from the [[Cedar River (Washington)|Cedar River]] in 1900]]
[[Image:Seattle Steam Company from Western.jpg|thumb|[[Seattle Steam Company]] in 2006]]

The '''utilities of Seattle''' are provided by two government owned, and five privately owned, [[Public utility|public utilities]]. The public utilities are [[Seattle Public Utilities]] (SPU) for the [[water supply]] and [[waste management]], and [[Seattle City Light]] for [[electric utility|electricity]]. The private companies are [[Puget Sound Energy]] for [[natural gas]]; [[Seattle Steam Company|CenTrio Seattle]] for [[district heating]]; [[CenturyLink]] for [[Local telephone service|telephone service]], [[DSL]] and [[Fiber to the premises|FTTH]]; and  [[Comcast]] and [[Wave Broadband]] for [[cable television]] and [[cable internet]].

== Overview ==
The city's water is furnished by Seattle Public Utilities, an agency of the city, which owns two water collection facilities: one in the [[Cedar River (Washington)|Cedar River]] watershed, which primarily serves the city south of the [[Lake Washington Ship Canal]], and the other in the [[Tolt River]] watershed, which primarily serves the city north of the canal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/OurWatersheds/index.htm|title=Watersheds — Seattle Public Utilities|website=www.seattle.gov|language=en-us|access-date=September 11, 2018}}</ref>

Natural gas is furnished by privately owned Puget Sound Energy, which began its existence in 1886, generating [[electric power]] as the Seattle Electric Light Company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pse.com/aboutpse/CorporateInfo/Pages/Our-History.aspx|title=Our History|website=pse.com|language=en-us|access-date=September 11, 2018}}</ref> Nowadays, the city's electricity is furnished by Seattle City Light, an agency of the city, which owns numerous [[hydroelectric]] dams on the Cedar and [[Skagit River]]s. Seattle first decided to invest in public power generation in 1902, initially handling this as part of the water department; the resulting Cedar Falls hydroelectric facility (1905) is now the oldest continually operating, publicly owned hydroelectric plant in the U.S. City Light became a separate city agency in 1910, and, in 1951, bought out the last of their privately owned competitors.<ref>[http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/light/aboutus/history/ab5_brhs.htm A Brief History], Seattle City Light. Accessed November 16, 2007.</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000919023553/http://www.cityofseattle.net/light/aboutus/customerguide/ Fingertip Facts]}}, Seattle City Light. Accessed November 16, 2007.</ref>

The privately owned Seattle Steam Company, founded 1893, generates steam by burning natural gas and wood, and provides it to over 200 businesses in [[Downtown, Seattle, Washington|downtown Seattle]]—where hotels figure prominently among its customers—and on [[First Hill, Seattle, Washington|First Hill]], where it serves several of the city's largest hospitals. The company was renamed Enwave Seattle in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.enwaveseattle.com/history.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217190540/http://www.enwaveseattle.com/history.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=December 17, 2014|title=History {{!}} Enwave Seattle|website=www.enwaveseattle.com|access-date=September 11, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/private-seattle-downtown-steam-utility-sold/|title=Private Seattle downtown steam utility sold|date=May 8, 2014|work=The Seattle Times|access-date=September 11, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Early water supply==
The first water system in Seattle is credited to one of the city's founding pioneers, [[Henry Yesler]]. He stored water from springs in a tank located on what is now Yesler Way between Fourth and Fifth Avenues, roughly the location of the Old Public Safety Building on the uphill east edge of the [[Pioneer Square, Seattle, Washington|Pioneer Square]] neighborhood, site of the settlement that became the city. From this tank a V-shaped trough conducted water to his mill at the foot of Mill Street, now Yesler Way.<ref name=Fleming-3>{{Harvnb|Fleming|1919|p=20}}</ref>

As the settlement grew into a town and city, water was drawn from [[Lake Washington]] and [[Lake Union]]. Various independent companies provided water to different neighborhoods. The largest of these was the Spring Hill Company, which drew water from Lake Washington.<ref name=Fleming-3 />  Formed in 1881 by Louis R. Johns and J.R. Lewis, they stored water from the springs on First and Beacon Hills in seven tanks, holding a combined 200,000 gallons.  They sold out a year later to a partnership consisting of [[John Leary (politician)|John Leary]], [[Bailey Gatzert]], and [[Jacob Furth]].  They began pumping water from [[Lake Washington]] in 1884, at the current location of Colman Park.  In 1889, they added a 2,500,000 gallon reservoir located at Holgate and 14th on Beacon Hill.<ref name="ws">{{cite book |last1=Speidel |first1=William |title=Sons of the Profits |date=1967 |publisher=Nettle Creek Publishing Company |location=Seattle |pages=256–282}}</ref><ref name=mm>{{cite book |last1=Morgan |first1=Murray |title=Skid Road |date=2018 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=9780295743493 |pages=88}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Stein |first1=Alan |title=Spring Hill Water Company is incorporated in Seattle on August 20, 1881 |url=https://historylink.org/File/2099 |website=HistoryLink.org |access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lange |first1=Greg |title=Lake Washington begins supplying Seattle water system in 1886 |url=https://historylink.org/File/1673 |website=HistoryLink.org |access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref>

These arrangement soon proved inadequate. On September 24, 1888, Mayor [[Robert Moran (shipbuilder)|Robert Moran]] urged the city council to call an election to "determine finally whether this city is to have an abundant supply of pure water at cost, or continue to pay tribute to private individuals on all water used in the future."<ref name=Fleming-3 />

In a July 8, 1889, election,<ref>Alan J. Stein, [http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=2123 Seattle voters authorize Cedar River Water Supply system on July 8, 1889.], HistoryLink, January 1, 2000. Accessed online December 6, 2007.</ref> barely a month after the [[Great Seattle Fire]] (June 6, 1889) gave a dramatic illustration of the limitations of the city's water supply, Seattle's citizens voted 1,875 to 51 to acquire and operate their own water system. In accordance with this vote, the city Water Department acquired the Lake Union and Spring Hill plants for $400,000 (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|400000|1890|r=-3}}}} today.{{Inflation-fn|US}}). These plants saw the city through until the 1901 completion of Cedar River Supply System No. 1.<ref>{{Harvnb|Fleming|1919|pp=20–21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lange |first1=Greg |title=City of Seattle acquires its own water system on June 4, 1890 |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/1674 |website=HistoryLink.org |access-date=June 2, 2020}}</ref><ref name=ws/><ref name=mm/>

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{Citation
| last =Fleming
| first =S. E.
| year =1919
| title =Civics (supplement): Seattle&nbsp;King County
| place =Seattle
| publisher =Seattle Public Schools
}}. This is a public domain source, because it was published in the U.S. before 1923.

{{SeattleWA}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Seattle]]
[[Category:Public utilities of the United States]]