How was water originally moved around LA?
This is the water wheel of the Zanja Madre. It was constructed by building a dam and using natural resources. Many families contributed to this project.
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The zanja system was a series of irrigation ditches that brought water from the LA River to the homes and fields of Los Angeles. At its height in 1888, the zanja system had 52 miles of waterways within city limits and an additional 40 miles outside of the city limits. The people of Los Angeles built the zanjas, with children gathering supplies and men and boys using shovels and hoes to construct the dams. Women and Native American servants would carry water to be used for domestic uses, and farmers would dig ditches off of the Zanja Madre to their land.
Unfortunately, people would bathe, wash laundry, and put sewage, waste, and trash in the zanjas. This practice was unsanitary, so the government created a solution: zanjeros (police officers for zanjas). They would check if people who were using the water had paid for usage for that day. Even with the zanjeros the zanja system was starting to become unsafe. So, in the mid-1880s, the city covered up the zanjas and turned them into very primitive pipes. The use of zanjas slowed to a stop in 1904. They were succeeded by the Los Angeles Municipal Water Department, which built six reservoirs, two pumping plants, and 337 miles of pipes that led to 23,180 individual water services. New advancements in plumbing technology along with their danger and low efficacy eventually lead to the demise of the zanja system after 123 years. Click Here for Video |