Cahaba Pump Station

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The Cahaba Pump Station, built in 1887-1890, is a working pump station owned by the Birmingham Water Works. The station is located on the banks of the Cahaba River at the former site of New Town at 4012 Sicard Hollow Road. The works consists of a control room building, boiler house, and two pump houses which draw water from the river and pump it, along the path of Pipe Line Road through Cahaba Heights, to the reservoirs at the Shades Mountain Filter Plant.

The original facility was designed by Elyton Land Company engineer Willis Milner for a capacity of 5 million gallons per day. Construction at the remote site began in 1887 and cost a half million dollars over the next three years. Another engineer, William Merkel, took charge of construction and superintended its operation afterward. The community of Merkel, named for him, grew up around the station to house workers.

In April 1889 the Water Works took delivery of what was claimed to be "the largest water pump ever manufactured in the world," a 187,800-pound manufactured by the Worthington Company of New York and transported on five railroad cars. It was designed to be able to pump 5 million gallons of water per day to the reservoir, 485 feet above the river. The pump cost $35,000, plus $1,000 in freight, and another $2,000 to a Mr Crowder, who transported it over Red Mountain.

The Birmingham Water Works Dam completed in 1891, just south of the present U.S. Highway 280 bridge, impounds the river just enough to provide for a steady intake.

A 1998 renovation and addition to the pump station building, designed by KHAFRA engineers, won a Preservation Award from the Birmingham Historical Society. Currently the station also functions as a museum with examples of early tools and equipment and a collection of historical photographs. The facility is also available as a meeting and conference space for business and civic groups of up to 100.

In 2009 the Water Works purchased 23 acres adjoining the station from Fleming Branch LLC in a deal that protects 50 additional acres bought by Alex Jones from high-density development.

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