A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM AND WATER QUALITY IN THE CITY OF LODZ

Poland's third largest city, Lodz, underwent rapid industrial and demographic growth in the 19th and 20th centuries, followed by a steep decline over the last three decades. This paper describes how the water supply system has been adapted over the last century to meet these challenges, and in particular how the source of water (surface or underground) and structure of the supply system has been adapted to maintain drinking water quality. The Lodz water supply has been managed since 1925 by the firm Zaklad Wodociagow i Kanalizacji Sp. z o.o. The water supply system was designed by the Englishman William H. Lindley (in 1909), but because of World War I and the global depression that followed work began only in 1934. After World War II further deep wells were constructed, followed by a pipeline network and treatment plant. A 50-kilometre pipeline bringing surface water from the Pilica River was completed in 1955, followed by the Sulejowski Reservoir on the same river (1968-1973). Algal blooms on the reservoir presented a major challenge, and deep wells were turned to as a solution. By 2010 Lodz had 58 deep well intakes, so that in 2013 it was no longer necessary to take taking surface water from the Sulejowski Reservoir.