First Waterworks of Manila: Carriedo Waterworks
Manila’s first modern waterworks system was the Carriedo Waterworks.
The system was named after Francisco de Carriedo, a Spanish merchant whose death in 1743 left 10,000 pesos to the city for the construction of a water system.
In 1882, the Carriedo Waterworks was inaugurated. It drew water from the Marikina River which was collected in a cistern. El Deposito, in San Juan. From there, pipes brought and distributed the water to Manila.
A famous feature of the system was the Carriedo Fountain, formerly located at the Sampaloc Rotonda. But the most important feature of the system was the public hydrants that allowed the public to draw clean water for their daily needs.
The system was replaced by the Wawa Dam, and later the Novaliches Reservoir (La Mesa Dam), in later years.
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