Blyth water/sewer history

Blyth's first water lines installed in 1906 fire fire protection

Blyth’s first water lines were installed in 1906 for fire protection only.
Steam pumps supplied pressure for the system, which drew water from Blyth Brook.
That steam pressure was also used to power a sawmill on the west side of Queen Street, which was owned by Livingstons, then later the Geddeses.
In 1947, village residents rejected a call for a town water supply. However, a residential water system did arrive in 1953, at almost twice the cost had the job been done six years previously.
The system came from the Radar School in Clinton. The water storage tanks were made of wood and had a problem with leaks.
The installation of a large underground tank and the drilling of more wells was one of the last jobs supervised by William (Billy) Thuell who had run the water and electric system in Blyth for 53 years, beginning in 1919.
After provincial concerns over water quality and safety struck in 2000, the Blyth water system included a chlorinator for the first time in its history.
Other upgrades were also made at that time, at a cost of $450,000.
The waste treatment plant was constructed in the early 1980s with almost all homes in the village now using the sewer system rather than septic tanks.