Alexandria Water Company

The Alexandria Water Company was a privately owned public utility that supplied water to parts of Fairfax County, as well as Arlington and the City of Alexandria.

The Alexandria Water Company was incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly on March 22, 1850, and began operations in 1852.[1]

On July 1, 1929, the American Waterworks & Electric Company purchased the Alexandria Water Company, paying just over $300 for each of the company's 4000 outstanding shares.[2]

In 1950 the company constructed the first dam impounding the Occoquan River, followed seven years later by a second, higher dam 3000 feet upstream.[3]

With the construction of the first Occoquan dam, the company declared the reservoir at Barcroft surplus, and eventually sold the 114 acre lake and 566 acres surrounding it to developer Joseph V. Barger.

In 1973, American Water Works Service Company merged what was left of the Alexandria Water Company with the Prince William Water Company and the Old Dominion Water Corporation of Hopewell, Virginia, to form the Virginia-American Water Company.

References

  1. ↑ Hurst, Harold W. Alexandria on the Potomac: The Portrait of an Antebellum Community. University Press of America, 1991.
  2. ↑ "New Owners Take Over Water Utility." The Washington Post (1923-1954): 5. Jul 01 1929. ProQuest. Web. 3 Jan. 2018.
  3. ↑ Eustus, Amber. "Civilization Comes to a Hidden Lake." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Oct 03 1968. ProQuest. Web. 3 Jan. 2018.