Water Pump and Wooden Pipe

This pump and wooden pipe provided Livingston County residents with easy access to fresh water.  The water system in the Village of Geneseo began in 1845 when James S. Wadsworth expanded the family water system connecting Temple Hill Springs to agricultural fields known as the “flats.”  Initially water was piped through conduits and logs which were hollowed in the center to permit the flow of water. Residents and businesses of the village gained access to clean and safe water for drinking, cleaning, and other household tasks.  This piece of the old water main pipe was removed from Center Street in the summer of 1997. 

Today the United States uses over 128 billion gallons of fresh water per day to irrigate crops.  On average, Americans use between 80 and 100 gallons of water per person per day in their homes.  Having access to clean drinking water remains as vital today as it was in the past.  Currently, Hemlock and Canadice Lakes are two fully protected Finger Lakes that serve as part of Rochester's water supply.   To protect water quality, development and recreational use of both lakes were restricted beginning in the late 1800’s and more than 100 cottages and five hotels were demolished.  In 2000 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation identified Conesus Lake as “impaired for boating and bathing purposes and threatened as a water supply.”  Local communities have struggled with concerns about run-off and other types of pollution as well as the environmental impacts of fracking, the process of drilling for natural gas underground.   Do you know about the quality of water you drink or where it comes from?