History of the creation and development of the water supply in Samara

Summary

The history of the creation and development of the water supply in Samara is presented. It is difficult for a modern resident of a large city to understand now; however, for several centuries Samara has experienced serious problems due to a persistent deficit of water. Numerous water carriers on horse-drawn carriages in barrels and other containers delivered water to the city located between two rivers. Samara was helpless before the fires that regularly flared up in it that resulted in almost entire city burning out. This situation preserved almost until the end of the 19th century. There were attempts, however unsuccessful, to build a water supply system in Samara. In 1881, the Zodchii magazine announced a competition to draw up a technical project for a water supply system for the city of Samara; in June 1883, 11 projects were submitted for the competition. After appropriate reviewing, the first prize of 3000 rubles was awarded to the project by engineer Nikolai Petrovich Zimin, the head of the Moscow water supply system. The construction of the Samara water supply system started immediately after the signing of an agreement with the company «Trading House of Brothers Bromley and Co.» for the execution of works. And already on October 1, 1886, the water supply to the main streets of the city began. Owing to the unique engineering solutions of N. P. Zimin, the first fire-fighting water supply system in Russia, equipped with a state-of-the-art-infrastructure was commissioned in Samara. At that time, only a few cities in Europe had this marvel of engineering. Now the history of the Samara water supply system goes back 135 years. To preserve the history of the creation of the municipal water supply system, «Na Dne» («At the Bottom») museum of the history of the Samara water supply system has been operating since July 13, 2018 at the premises of the municipal water treatment plant. The modern water supply system of the Samara urban district supplies drinking water to more than 1.2 million residents. Development continues.

Key words

water supply system , history of the creation of the Samara water supply system , museum of the history of the Samara water supply system , research and educational center