A documentary history of the Louisville Water Co., chartered as a private company in 1854 but almost wholly owned by the city by the time regular water delivery began on October 22, 1860. In the early 1900s, the Louisville Water Co. pioneered techniques for clearing mud and sand from river water that served as a model for many other city systems. Today, the Louisville water system serves all of Jefferson County with almost 3,000 miles of pipeline.