Appendix: Historical Newspaper Clipping - Esquimalt Waterworks
A historical clipping from the Daily Colonist regarding the early construction and engineering of the Thetis Lake waterworks.
Esquimalt Waterworks.
This company have since last February been steadily at work at Thetis lake, with a large force of men, commencing by cutting a ditch through rock of about eight hundred feet in length, and in places over twenty feet in depth, for the purpose of lowering the lake so as to remove all vegetable substances; during the summer the entire circumference of the lake was carefully gone over and all trees were cut down and with other vegetable matter burned, and at present, for thirty feet above the water level, shows clean, perpendicular rock wall.
Thetis lake has been practically made a reservoir of about fifty acres, having been cut off from the Upper Thetis by the usual earth embankments, two of which have been finished, and work is now in progress on the front embankment, a flume and ditch of nearly 3000 feet long has been completed, and a large body of water from the mountain streams is filling the lake, which, when full, will be ample for the present requirements, and allow the company time to complete their filters and service reservoirs, lay mains and pipe, and supply the Esquimalt peninsula with water by the end of this year.
The company's whole system comprises fully 150 acres storage capacity, and it is expected before the end of next year the whole area will be available, thus forming a most complete chain of lakes capable of supplying good wholesome water to 5000 people. A great deal of work has been done and in a very quiet manner. The estimated cost of the completed work is approximated at $150,000, and excepting the railways and graving dock, which are government works, this work is the largest enterprise now being constructed in the province.