Cleveland, Ohio — The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) today dedicated the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant in Cleveland as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. For the last century, the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant has ensured people and businesses in Cleveland and its surrounding suburbs have safe, reliable drinking water. Construction on the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant started in 1920, and it went into service in October 1925 and is owned and operated by Cleveland Water. It currently provides water for 1.4 million customers.
The dedication ceremony featured remarks from the City of Cleveland, Cleveland Water, The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, ASCE, and the Great-Granddaughter of Joseph Ellms, the lead designer of the plant.
“The development of reliable, safe, clean drinking water systems is one or the great achievements that has helped improve the standard of living in communities around the world, and something that people who lived less than 200 years ago could only dream of,” said ASCE President Feniosky A. Peña-Mora, Sc.D, P.E. “Facilities like the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant helped pioneer innovations that advance public health, safety, and welfare which is the mission of our profession.”
ASCE represents more than 160,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide and is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. It recognizes historically significant civil engineering projects, structures, and sites worldwide. More than 350 projects worldwide have earned the prestigious title for creativity and innovation; almost all are executed under challenging conditions.
The designation as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark honors the pioneering work of several civil engineers who helped shape modern water treatment practices. These include Joseph W. Ellms, the lead designer of the plant, and a founding figure in sanitary engineering, along with George W. Hamlin, Aaron G. Levy, and J.E.A. Linders, whose designs helped shape modern water treatment practices.
The plant pumps 71 million gallons of clean drinking water per day (MGD). At the time of construction, the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant was the largest covered concrete reservoir in the U.S., spanning 1035 feet by 551 feet and 39 feet deep. Engineers recommended the reservoir be built adjacent to a new water treatment plant, creating the groundbreaking Baldwin Water Treatment Plant and Reservoir campus. The durability of the plant, especially its concrete roof, has served as a guide for similar projects across the country.
When the plant was completed in 1925, it included several new innovations like the first passive devices to mix treatment chemicals and rapid sand filters to improve the efficiency of water flow and cleaning. Many of the innovative features in the plant set standards for water treatment plant design that led to the development of ASCE’s Manual for Water Treatment Plant Design that was written by the lead authors for the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant.
Today’s ceremony included the dedication of a marker to honor the Baldwin Water Treatment Plant as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Additional information about ASCE's Historic Civil Engineering Landmark Program is available here.
About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.