Cedar River Watershed Timber Sales

Series

Identifier: 8204-06

Scope and Contents Note

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Management of timber sales is part of the forest and watershed management program at the Cedar River Watershed, including the Cedar River, Tolt River and Lake Youngs. The program ensures that resource management practices and programs administerd on on the watersheds are consistent with City objectives and policies and performed in accordance with applicable Federal, State and City rules and regulations.Resource management, including preparation and administration of old growth and second growth timber sales, land rehabilition, and surveying, water quality, logging and road construction activities make up part of the watershed management programs.

All City timber sales are prepared and administered in accordance with terms of the CRWS Logging Agreement and the CRWS Cooperative Agreement, as well as other rules and regulations. Forest operations are regulated by the Washington State Forest Practices Act.

These records include information on salvage and timber sales primarily from the 1960s through the 1980s, with other administrative information included as well. Bids, correspondence, receipts, volume, types of trees, surveys, contracts and maps are the types of records included in this series.

Dates

Creation: 1948-1995

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). Water Dept. (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

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From 1854 until 1890, Seattle's water was provided by wells, springs and private water companies. A public waterworks was created by City Charter Amendment in 1875. However, Seattle was served primarily by small private water companies for the next decade and a half. In 1888, prompted by a tenfold population increase during the previous decade, Seattle's mayor and city council called for an election to decide if the city should own and operate its own water system.

Shortly before the election, the "Great Seattle Fire" of June 6, 1889, destroyed the entire 64-acre business district. A major contributor to the widespread destruction was the lack of water available from the patchwork of private water suppliers. The vote on establishing a municipally-owned water system was approved by a resounding 1,875 to 51 margin.

In 1890, a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowed municipalities to issue bonds secured by future revenues. Shortly thereafter, Seattle issued $845,000 in bonds and purchased two private water companies -- the Spring Hill Water Company and the Union Water Company -- both of which pumped water from Lake Union and Lake Washington. In 1895, Seattle residents again voted to approve revenue bonds, this time to construct the Cedar River water system. Water first flowed from the Cedar River into Seattle's system on January 10, 1901. Water was diverted by a dam at Landsburg, and then was channeled into a newly-completed 28.57 mile pipeline. This pipeline carried water to the Volunteer Park and Lincoln reservoirs on Capitol Hill in Seattle, which were also built at the time. This new system had a capacity of 23.5 million gallons per day.

The system was administered by the Superintendent of Water under the auspices of the Board of Public Works. In 1905 the Department of Lighting and Water Works was created. Five years later, the Water Department became a separate entity. In 1909, a second pipeline was added, providing an additional 45 million gallon per day capacity to meet the water needs of a fast-growing Seattle. The next water supply source was not added until 1964, when the South Fork of the Tolt River began supplying north Seattle and the Eastside. In 1987, the first ground water source was added to the system when two wells in the Highline Well Field began operation. A third well was added in 1990.

In 1997 the Water Department was consolidated with the utilities of the Engineering Department to form Seattle Public Utilities.