Continuing the water-related theme we began with last month’s discussion of the Goliad water towers, we tell the story of the historic White Rock Pump Station.

“One of the first things a city used to do was establish a fire department to protect homes and businesses,” says Charles Stringer, manager of Dallas water utilities, pumping and reservoir management.

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“It was for this purpose a fireman named W. C. Connors created Dallas Fire and Hydrant Company at Browder Springs, birthplace of the City’s water department and known today as Old City Park.”

The Elm Fork of the Trinity, Turtle Creek, Bachman Lake, and numerous wells throughout the city served Dallas’ water sources at the time.

“The department was renamed Dallas Water Works in 1881 when the City purchased Dallas Fire and Hydrant Company,” Stringer says.

In the early 1900s, the Dallas Water Dept. became increasingly concerned about the ability of its sources to supply enough water for a population that had more than doubled between 1900 and 1910.

This concern, coupled with a drought that lasted from 1909 to 1912, left no doubt the City needed a dependable water supply.

On April 9, 1909, voters approved bonds to purchase almost 2300 acres along White Rock Creek, where a dam and pump station would be constructed to meet the City’s growing demand for water.

Fred A. Jones received a $260,000 contract to build the dam and spillway in 350 working days and Hughes O’Rourke won a $35,035 contract to build the pump station.

Construction of a railroad trestle was also required so coal needed to fire the pump engines could be dropped directly from a railroad car into the boiler room.

The dam was closed off on June 24, 1911, but White Rock Lake didn’t fill completely until April 27, 1914, when the area experienced heavy rains, flooding, and the end of a prolonged drought.

The City finished a treatment plan in 1923 to furnish Dallas’ first supply of chlorinated water. It was at this time a small water tank at Abrams and Goliad was replaced by two large water tanks (pictured in last month’s column), each holding 2 million gallons of water.

White Rock Lake was the main water source for Dallas from 1911 until July 2, 1930, when the Bachman Lake Water Plant was completed and Lake Dallas became the major water source for a population that was again experiencing significant growth. The pump station closed 28 days later.

Stringer says: “The original pump was purchased for $76,000 and weighed 162 tons. During World War II it was sold for scrap metal, equivalent in weight to three 50-ton tanks.”

In the late 1940s, Dallas was faced with another serious drought. Following considerable renovation and installation of new equipment, the pump station was reactivated in 1954 to provide an additional seven to 13 million gallons of water per day to the northeast and eastern parts of the City.

Although the treatment plant was closed in 1957 after the drought ended, the pump station continued operations during the summer months in order to maintain pressure and volume in the eastern part of Dallas. It was permanently closed in 1964.

Between 1974 and 1982, the City considered a number of plans for the building. Because the structure was sound, officials of Dallas Water Utilities decided to renovate the pump station for use as a new water operations control center.

Today, the west half (boiler room) of the pump station is occupied 24 hours a day by Dallas Water Utilities staff. The east half (engine room) is available for public meetings.

A designated historical structure and national landmark that is also included in the American Water Association List of Historical Structures, the Pump Station exemplifies reclamation and restoration of a historically significant part of the White Rock community and City of Dallas.