Annapolis Charter 300 1708-2008

—Commemorating the 1708 Royal Charter under Queen Anne to the City of Annapolis —

The first important work on water sanitation, that of Edwin Chadwick in 1842, finally seemed to have caught local attention in the 1850s when the City Council passed the first ordinances governing disposal of human remains. A decade later, large numbers of Civil War troops stationed at Annapolis exposed the limitations of the 200 year old system of public and private wells the City had relied on. Sewage and medical waste further compromised wells. In 1865 Alexander Randall led a private group to found the Annapolis Water Company. Only the wealthiest homes enjoyed private connections; most citizens still obtained their water from public pumps located on major streets. The City purchased the outstanding private shares on AWC in 1912, making the company an agency of city government.

Persistent problems with typhoid fever, especially in Eastport, and the occasional tadpole emerging from the kitchen faucet, led to a system expansion, filtering chemical sanitation treatments in 1930. Today the system maintains 125 mils of pipes that provide a safe and dependable supply of drinking water to residential and business customers.

For most of the city's history, Annapolitans discharged wastewater into the harbor and neighboring creeks, a practice that killed aquatic life and produced an overwhelming stench, particularly



during the summer months. In 1934, the city erected a wastewater treatment plant on Back Creek. A modern facility, owned by the City and Anne Arundel County and operated by the county, opened in 1972. The system today includes 130 miles of sewage pipes.

In 1930 the city assumed direct control of refuse collection and street sanitation.

Michael Parker, Community Historian

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Annapolis, MD  |  Anne Arundel County  |  21401  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

An Enviroronmental Perspective
Sharpening Our Governing Teeth: The 1708 Charter of Annapolis
Brown-Leanos Memorial Park
Annapolis During The Civil War
Light House Bistro
From The Bivouac of the Dead, a War Memorial
A National Cemetery System
Annapolis National Cemetery
Address by President Lincoln at the Dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, a War Memorial
Anne Catharine Green

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.