Water: Overview: Early Systems of Water Supply

In the original Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now New York), poor sanitation resulted in the pollution of the available freshwater and in disease. In 1639, when there were only a few hundred settlers, water was drawn from local streams, ponds, and springs. While plans for a public well were drawn up in 1658, they were never carried out, and residents began to dig wells in their yards. The English captured New Amsterdam in 1664 largely because the Dutch leader, Peter Stuyvesant, surrendered after determining that there was not a sufficient water supply in the fort to maintain a lengthy defense. The English later dug a well in the fort, which provided sufficient potable water, much to the astonishment of the Dutch.