As Nashville's population grew following the Civil War, so did the need for accessible, clean water. In 1889, the George Reyer Pumping Station was built on Omohundro Drive right beside the Cumberland River. Operated by steam until 1953, the plan has continued to provide water from the river to an ever-growing population to this day. It narrowly avoided what would have been a catastrophic flooding during the disasterous Nashville flood in May, 2010, thanks in large part to prison inmates who were pressed into service to keep the rising waters at bay. The elegant Filtration Building seen here was completed in 1929, and again, is still in full operation.
