Colonel F.J. Ward Pumping Station (Buffalo, New York)

 place with historical importance, water supply treatment plant, onshore/coastal pumping station

Built in 1915, the Colonel F.J. Ward Pumping Station is an active fresh water intake and pumping station operated by the Buffalo Water Authority.

Fed by the Buffalo Water Intake Crib, the station once utilized five Holly Manufacturing Co. vertical triple expansion Steam Engines which boasted an impressive pumping capacity of 30 million gallons per day per engine. These steam engines, weighing 1200 tons with a 31" x 64" x 98" x 66" stroke and a single 20ft diameter 30 ton flywheel each, required an equally massive building to be constructed around them. The pumphouse and adjacent buildings were designed and built in a period style with terra-cotta walls, tile floors and skylights to allow for the maximum of natural light.

Remaining in operation from 1915 through the 1970's, the steam engines were taken offline and replaced with smaller electric units which provide the pumping power for the station which still supplies over half of the fresh water used in the City of Buffalo today. The steam engines have been left in their deactivated status and are now the subject of frequent tours by industrial and steam enthusiasts.

www.buffalowaterauthority.com/About/Departments/Colonel...