Our History

Spartanburg Water History

• 1881: Spartanburg’s first water works was chartered by the South Carolina Secretary of State as a privately held company, and the original water plant, the Chinquapin Filter Plant, was established at 250 Whitney Road in Spartanburg.  
• 1899: Chinquapin Filter Plant was purchased by local businessmen and became the Home Water Supply Company.
• 1907: The City of Spartanburg purchased the company, and the first Commissioners of Public Works were elected in the spring of 1908.
• 1926: R. B. Simms Filtration Plant and Reservoir #1 began operation with a 6-million-gallon-per-day capacity, serving over 30,000 people.
• 1929: The Spartanburg Metropolitan District (later the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District) was created by Act 556 of the S.C. General Assembly and was managed by the Commission of Public Works of the City of Spartanburg.
• 1931: Fairforest and Lawson Fork Wastewater Treatment Plants began operations. The capacity of the Fairforest plant was 3 million gallons per day (MGD), and the capacity of the Lawson Fork plant was 1.5 MGD.
• 1943: The Spartanburg Water Works building moved to downtown Spartanburg.  
• 1960: A new dam creating Lake Bowen (Reservoir Number 2) was built to increase the water supply to the Simms Filtration Plant.
• 1973: The Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District Commission was established as the governing body of the District, comprised of eight commissioners, later reduced to seven by the State Supreme Court.
• 1976: The Commission of Public Works authorized the creation of the H. Taylor Blalock Reservoir (Lake Blalock) to further ensure an abundant supply of water for the future. It was dedicated in memory of H. Taylor Blalock in honor of his 29 years of service as Commissioner.  
• 1999: The Lake Blalock Water Treatment Facility began its operations. 
• 2002-2007: The Fairforest plant's capacity was increased, consolidating all wastewater treatment and biosolids handling at one location and providing for the eventual elimination of the Lawson Fork plant. 
• 2008: The City of Spartanburg's sewer system was transferred to the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District.
• 2013: Blalock Water Treatment Facility is renamed the Myles W. Whitlock Water Treatment Facility. 
• 2019: Fairforest Wastewater Treatment Facility is renamed the A. Manning Lynch Wastewater Treatment Facility in honor of Lynch’s 28 years of service to the Spartanburg Sanitary Sewer District.