Former Public Works Director and Historian of our Water System, Frank Mauldin has Died

Here's more sad news in the paper today. The historian of our water supply and a former Director of Public Works for the City of Salem, Frank Mauldin has passed away.

Sweet Mountain Water

You can read a little more here about the first and foiled attempt at purchasing the waterworks and linking to cleaner mountain water in 1911. By this time Portland had had Bull Run water for 15 years, Eugene was in process of developing a municipal supply, and it wasn't until the later 1930s that Salem finally got hooked up to the Santiam.

"Mayor Vetoes" - May 9, 1911

The old water works, just west of the downtown fire station
In the construction of the new Commercial St. bridge
some of its brick was exposed!
(Salem Library Historic Photos)

Though the cyanotoxin problem was managed this year, with climate disruption we will have to be thinking about water more and more. If you are interested in our water, Mauldin's book is an important first step.

Postscript, August 5th, 2021

Here is a very nice coda.

very fitting