Marlette Lake Water System
Marlette Lake Water System | |
 Marlette Lake above Lake Tahoe. | |
  | |
| Location | Roughly, from Marlette Lake to Virginia City, Nevada |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Virginia City, Nevada |
| Area | 135.4 acres (54.8 ha) |
| Built | 1873 |
| Engineer | Hermann Schussler, civil engineer |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001162[1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 16, 1992 |
The Marlette Lake Water System was created to provide water for the silver mining boom in Virginia City, Nevada. These structures are now listed as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listed area included two contributing buildings and 12 contributing structures on 135.4 acres (54.8 ha). It has also been known historically as the Virginia and Gold Hill Water Company Water System.[1][2][3]
The mines required large amounts of water and timber to supply the houses and mines in Virginia City and Gold Hill. To feed these mines, the dam at Carson Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company's Marlette Lake was increased, and Hobart Reservoir was created, and a number of flumes and pipelines were built to transport water down to Virginia City. This included a 3,994-foot-long tunnel through the watershed basin divide, and an ingenious inverted siphon pipe to get water through Washoe Valley. The Virginia and Gold Hill Water Company Marlette flume location is now a trail for mountain biking and hiking.
The collection portion of the water system is now located inside Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park.
History and Significance[]
The Marlette Lake Water System was the 1st system of the United States which was developed for overcoming mountainous topography. More than double the next highest, its inverted siphon was the greatest in the world. It sustained ahead of over 1700 feet.
Virginia City was the biggest high-grade silver and gold ore producer of the United States in the mid-1800s. Natural springs supplied water to the camps at the beginning of the mining activities. For addressing the need for more water because of the population growth, the Virginia and Gold Hill Water Company was established. Water was primarily drawn from tunnels that had been driven into the mountains by prospectors. The water used to be stored in wooden tanks, and later on it used to be sent to the town through pipes. Keeping the threat of a drought, the water supply started to wane soon. For bringing water from a new source to the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, the company consulted with engineer Hermann Schussler in 1871 for developing a plan.[4][5]
Description[]
The Marlette Lake Water System project involved a pipeline that was 21.47-mile long. It also involved a flume of 45.73-mile length, an inclined tunnel of 3994-foot, and lastly reservoir storage capacity of over 6200-acre feet. This water system has the ability to deliver around 6 million gallons of water per day. The laying of 7 miles over very rough terrain in 6 weeks was a remarkable feat considering that all labor was performed by men and mules. The initial stage of the project included the construction of a diversion dam on Hobart Creek, a wooden flume from the dam to an inlet tank which was 4.6-mile long, and the 7 miles of pipe twelve-inch, riveted iron pipeline that worked as an inverted siphon. A pressure pipeline that was used for supplying more water to the Hobart Reservoir was provided by the inverted siphon. A second inverted siphon was installed in 1875 by the water company. Besides, another flume from the Hobart Diversion Reservoir was added to the system. An incline tunnel through the Sierra was completed in 1877 by the workers. The tunnel was 4,000-foot long.[6]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Don Abbe (September 11, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Marlette Lake Water System / Virginia City Gold Hill Water Company Water System". National Park Service. and accompanying 11 photos
- ^ "Landmark Designation On Comstock". Nevada State Journal. Reno, Nevada. October 18, 1975. p. 22.
- ^ "Marlette Lake Water System". The Official State of Nevada Website. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Marlette Lake Water System". American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "Historic Marlette Water System". Tahoe Oversight Committee. December 18, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park website
- Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park - Marlette-Hobart Backcountry
- Flume Trail Ride Description
External links[]
- American Society of Civil Engineers - Marlette Lake Water System
- United States Geologic Survey (USGS), professional paper series- The story of the water supply for the Comstock.
- Marlette Flume Trail
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- Infrastructure completed in 1873
- Lake Tahoe
- History of Storey County, Nevada
- Buildings and structures in Storey County, Nevada
- National Register of Historic Places in Carson City, Nevada
- Water supply infrastructure on the National Register of Historic Places
- Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada
- Reservoirs in Nevada
- Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada
- 1873 establishments in Nevada
- Nevada Registered Historic Place stubs
- Nevada geography stubs